Come Fly with Me
by LaLizi
Summary: AU. John Bates' only way to divorce his wife and keep his company is to prove she is having an affair. Anna Smith of Carson's Private Investigators goes undercover on the case. What starts out as an infidelity investigation becomes much more and when John finds himself in serious trouble, Anna's skills and heart are put to the test.
1. I need a Private Investigator

**Since I refuse to acknowledge season 4 ever existed, I cannot write anything cannon and will try my hand with an AU instead. I wanted to see Anna as a real life "Anna Bates Investigates" character. I expect this to be long and have it all mapped out, but I write slower than I wish. There will be many DA Characters involved, but most prominent are Chelsie, Richard Carlisle, Anthony Strallan, Robert, Mary, Matthew, Gwen, O'Brien, Thomas, Molesley and Baxter. Not all the characters will follow their DA characteristics. Ex. – Richard has nothing to do with Mary. If I "cast" them, it is because they are similar in personality to the type of characters I was setting up. Others do follow story cannon… (Go Chelsie!) I am attempting drama with romance and some mysteries included. I am nervous about this and I hope to pull it off. **

**Thank you to Cherry88, my designated beta, for reading the story and making sure it sounds logical. Also, for her enthusiasm and pep talks when after season 4, I swore that I could never write Banna again. So much for that.**

**I don't own any of the Downton Abbey characters. They belong to Carnival and Julian Fellowes. If I did own them, I would definitely rewrite their brilliant actors some new plots so that they are actually in the show most of the time and not just as designated props.**

* * *

><p>"Vera, we don't love each other. Why are we still doing this? Why won't you agree to an amicable divorce? Our lives would be much easier if we did."<p>

She looked at him with a cold, bitter gaze. "You know why…. And because of that, you'll be attached to me for as long as I like."

John sighed. His voice was tempered, holding back his frustration, but, a hint of his desperation came through. He knew she thrived on his misery and he must not let her see it. He must work harder to stay calm.

"It would be so easy Vera. IF we separate by mutual accord, we split the assets in half. I would buy your share of the company. You could do so much with that money. It's enough for you to start another venture, travel the world, or live comfortably on interest alone. You would want for nothing. Wouldn't you prefer that? Tranquility from our fighting? Anything I say bothers you. Wouldn't you rather be away from all of this?"

Vera laughed in John's face. "Oh darling…. Living with you gives me great joy. Fighting with you gives me such satisfaction." She grinned cunningly at him. "Why would I ever want to stop?"

John was already upset, but she could tell those last words really hit a nerve. His jaw went stiff and she could see his fists clench, a clear sign of tension. She went in further, wanting to annoy him even more.

"Anyway, I would never sell you my half. I don't know where you got that idea." She arched her back, standing straighter, and a clear sign of defiance.

"It is what makes sense Vera. I don't see us working together once divorced, and although you have contributed to the growth of Bates Airlift….." John paused, measuring his words. "It is more my company than yours. I was the first pilot; I made the first contracts…. There are customers who only want to deal with me. It would be natural for me to retain the company."

"That may be the case, but, if we were to split up, I would take you for every cent you're worth. I would see to it that the courts left you without a dime…., so watch what you do Batesy. I can replace you with a good Manager. In this economic crisis, good people are not hard to find. You are not as necessary as you think."

John was fuming. The idea that Vera could take away his company was preposterous. It was his blood and sweat that had built it up to what it was now. Vera had been along for the ride, but, she had proven worthless as a Manager. She was mainly a decoration, managing the Public Relations, although she really didn't do anything. He was aware that Gwen did most of that work. He had to find a way out of this situation. There was one way and he would catch her.

"I have legal recourse and you know it. I will get a divorce sooner or later."

Vera smiled, but John could see that his words got to her. He could fight this. He could bring her down.

She turned to leave, but tilted her head just to say the last few words. There was bitterness, mixed with defiance in her tone.

"Well, good luck. You just try, John Bates. You just try to divorce me. You'll find it is harder than you think."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Crawley will see you now," spoke the matronly looking receptionist.<p>

John hated lawyers. He had experienced detrimental situations with them in the past and much to his chagrin, as part owner of Bates Airlift, he couldn't avoid having one. From reviewing new contracts with clients, helicopter leases, to the couple of unfortunate, but pointless lawsuits they had endured, he was not going to be free of them anytime soon. His business needed them. Fortunately for him, the company had moved their business to the firm of Crawley and Blake on recommendation from his best mate Robert a few years back. Senior partner Matthew Crawley was very congenial, utterly professional and reliable and John felt secure that his business was in good hands when Matthew was involved. His specialty was corporate law, not family law, but John would rather have a lawyer he trusted when it came to this very delicate matter.

As he walked the corridor, he couldn't help thinking that the waiting room was very masculine, what a lawyer's reception area should look like. There were brown leather sofas, wood paneling and mahogany furniture. John realized that these were all stall tactics in his mind. He shouldn't care what the furniture looked like, but, his mind was racing and he needed to distract himself. It had taken him a long time to finally seek Matthew out for the questions he had and he was determined to stay and see his topic through.

"John, how good to see you."

"Likewise, Matthew."

"What can I do for you today? The contract for your newest client was reviewed and approved. I'm not sure what we have pending unless you have a new client."

"Actually, this is a consultation of a personal nature." John sat back, closed his eyes and concentrated on his words. "How can I divorce Vera without losing my share of the company?"

Matthew sighed and John could sense a bit of a hesitation before Matthew responded.

"Divorce Vera?

"This is not new Matthew. I've wanted this for many years, but did not have the nerve to start the process. I am ready now. I just don't want to lose everything I have."

"I see. Has she agreed to divorce you?"

"No. She refuses to, even though I have begged her through the years. It's not love that keeps her tied to me. Its vengeance…. But, I just can't take it anymore. I need to be free of her and I want her out of the company. I want to give her what's fair. This should be a fifty-fifty split of assets and I intend to buy her out as soon as we are divorced."

"This will be no easy task, John… Especially if she's already refused you.

"She's told me flat out that she will never divorce me and that even if we did, that she would never sell me her part, so, I know that it will be difficult, but, I think there is a way and I need you to tell me if it is possible at all."

"Do you mean the divorce clause in your incorporation paperwork?"

"Yes. You could probably explain it better than I could, but it says that I can sue for divorce if she is untrue."

John pulled out the copies of the document that he had already highlighted for their discussion. He handed them to Matthew. He put on his glasses and read through them quietly and quickly.

Matthew took a few moments to think before responding.

"Yes, John. When you and Vera incorporated Bates Airlift, the lawyer that prepared that paperwork was very crafty and this clause…," he pointed to the same highlighted text, "states that your association can be dissolved in the case of embezzlement or divorce brought on by infidelity from one of the parties. In the case that either of these should happen, both parties agree that they will end their right to the partnership, at which point, the affected party has the right to buy out the other party's portion and remain he legitimate and sole owner of the company."

John felt relieved that Matthew was reconfirming his understanding of the clause. Yet, Matthew still held some hesitation.

"John. This does not cover all manner of divorce – just divorce brought on by infidelity. How do you intend to pursue this clause? Do you…."

John cut him off quickly.

"Vera has been unfaithful to me countless times. I know it, I just can't prove it."

"Well, that's a start. For you to even consider this, you'll need the proof. Can you get it?" Matthew set the papers down and sat back in his chair.

John scratched his head. He hadn't really considered how he would get the proof.

"You'll need to hire a private Investigator or install cameras on your own, tap her phone, install screen capture software…"

John looked weary. He didn't think he could pull off anything on his own. He wasn't that sneaky.

He smiled, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

"I guess I'll hire a private detective."

* * *

><p>Mary came back to the booth where Anna was waiting for her with two cool glasses of cider.<p>

"Oh thank you. I really needed that." Anna took her glass and immediately drank until the glass was half full.

"Oh, My. You really were thirsty!"

"Absolutely. That and that I want to forget this day. Another interview for another job I do not want."

"Was it that bad?"

"Bad… and then some."

Both Anna and Mary had recently graduated from the University of Warwick, Anna attaining her degree in Business administration and Mary in Estate Management.

"Why was this one so bad?" Mary asked, and then spoke up again. "Let me guess…. It is another greasy interviewer who couldn't keep his eyes off of your legs or the middle aged matron threatened by your good looks that didn't get you through to the actual interview?"

Anna laughed as she straightened out her legs for Mary to see. She was smartly dressed, very businesslike, with a tweed two piece pantsuit. Her hair was pulled back into a discreet bun and her makeup was very minimal. Her shoes, though quite high, were not sexy. They were career minded. There was nothing about her appearance that would entice or threaten either way. She was very professional looking; exactly what somebody looking for a job should be wearing.

"No, not pervert. He wouldn't have been able to see my beautiful legs in this outfit…..and no block-and-tackle woman either. This is a new reason – try false advertising…."

Mary looked confused as Anna tried to explain.

"The ad was for an entry level Sales Executive at Ripon Auto parts." Anna pointed to the newspaper cutout that she carried around in her satchel.

"Right, we looked at it together," exclaimed Mary as she took a sip of her own drink.

"Well, for me that would mean Sales calls, dealing with customers, maybe even retail, which would not have made me happy, but, I would have taken even that position, just so that I could get some work experience. But, no. For them, that means wearing a giant plastic sparkplug outfit, standing on a street corner with a huge sign and waving at cars, Lorries and buses to get their attention."

Mary almost spit out her drink when she heard Anna's explanation. "A sparkplug?"

Anna shook her head and both started laughing.

"That certainly wins for most falsely represented ad," Mary couldn't stop laughing.

"What am I going to do, Mary? I need a job."

"You have a job. Sort of… Why are you worrying so much? It's not like you need the money. You still have some left, right?"

"I have plenty, but I spent thousands of pounds from my parent's inheritance on this education. It has to be worth something. I can't go on helping my godparents forever. There has to be life beyond Carson's Private Investigators. There has to be, or I'll be the best damn educated PI in the region and I will have spent all that money for nothing."

Mary reached out to take Anna's hand.

"Patience darling. I am only buying my time here at my father's pub too. Any experience is good experience and one day, I will run our ancestral estate. It may belong to the government now, but I will. We just have to be patient, so, do not get desperate. Take it easy. We've only just graduated a few months ago and even though the title "Private Investigator" does not give you the sense of fulfillment you seek, you are very good at it. Maybe there is a way of getting what you want through that."

Anna reached out to Mary as well.

They had been best friends since they met during their first term at Warwick. Both were from Ripon, yet neither had ever met until they shared an Advanced Maths class in University. When things started disappearing from Mary's flat, in frustration, she mentioned it to Anna, unaware of the latter's background in Investigations. Anna took on the surveillance, implanting miniature cameras. After several days, Anna had what she was looking for - actual footage of Mary's flatmate rifling through her drawers until she found what she wanted, putting it away in her handbag. After this disagreeable situation, they found themselves matched in attitudes and temperament and decided to live together. Even after they graduated, they were still inseparable, now sharing a flat close to "Crawley's Pub".

"Your right of course," acknowledged Anna while squeezing Mary's hand. "Just once, I want a case to be more than just the typical sitting in a van, waiting for the spouse to cheat. I enjoy Missing Persons cases, they offer a lot and less mundane work, but, I don't enjoy the anguish the family has to go through, so, I need something different. Something where I can prove that I can do so much more…."

"Well, we'll pray for that, but in the meantime, how about you drink up and I go get us another round?"

"Yes, anything to forget the sparkplug. Bring me more cider!"

* * *

><p>"Ah, John. It's been several weeks since you were last here. I was beginning to worry. What's up mate?" John enthusiastically greeted his friend Robert, proprietor of Crawley's Pub. They first met during the first Gulf War in 1991, and as both stayed in the military, their paths crossed again when they did a tour of duty in 1995 within NATO forces during the Bosnian War. Since that time, Robert was one of the few people John felt he could really trust. Every once in a while, he made the trek from his offices in the outskirts of York to the pub for a chat and some refreshment. He felt more at home in Robert's establishment than in his own house.<p>

"Will you take the usual?"

Before he could even respond, Robert was pouring a diet coke with an added sliver of lemon on the side.

"You know me so well…."

Both men grinned and Robert added a small bowl with crisps.

"I ought to know you well. How many years has it been?"

"Twenty two this coming summer," responded John without having to do much calculation.

"That's very precise." Robert opened his eyes wide with surprise. "Has it really been that long?" He continued to wipe the counter as they spoke.

"Yes, that's four in the military, on top of the eighteen years of misery I've been living." The biting tone in John's voice left no doubt as to his painful situation.

"Is it one of those days, John?" Robert knew all too well how poor his marriage was, if it could be called that. That was not a loving union by a long shot. It was a stark contrast to the happy life he lead with his wife and three daughters. He really did feel bad for his friend.

"Let me not bore you with the repetitive details. I think you've heard enough through the years, but yes, it is one of those days."

Robert put down the glassware he was rearranging on the counter. He stood still and focused on John. Some conversations required full concentration.

"I don't mind. How are you going to get a load off if you don't tell me?"

John grinned. Robert was a true friend.

"Actually, I'm here to tell you I've made a determination. I am finished with this farce of a marriage. I am tired of Vera and I think I have paid enough for my sins of the past. It is time for her to go."

Roberts jaw dropped slightly as he heard the words coming out of his friend's mouth. John had been upset over the years, and time and time again he would manifest just how done he was. Somehow, though, this felt different. There was a steely resolve to his voice today. Something that made Robert think that maybe this time, John was finally ready to put the wheels in motion and get his life back.

"So, you are sure? You are ready to do this?" Robert knew Vera would not go quietly. She was the queen of manipulation and could get her way with anything she wanted. He had been a witness to several of her ploys throughout the years. If John was going to start this, he needed to be ready and in the right frame of mind to do battle.

"I am sure Robert. I have spent far too many years guilted by Vera at every turn. I think I have paid my dues."

"You know I will help you in any way I can."

"Thanks mate."

"So, what's next?"

"I've already gone to Matthew Crawley, which by the way - I will never thank you enough for recommending him …"

Robert nodded, in appreciation. Matthew was a good lad and the son of a distant cousin. He knew he was a good lawyer, but that was it. He had not had much relation with the young man.

"What does he have to say? Is he preparing for battle? Vera will want to take you for everything your worth."

"That she will, so, the only way I can divorce her, forcibly, and not lose the shirt off my back is if I can prove she's been unfaithful."

Robert laughed. "That should not be too hard, right?"

"Well, it shouldn't, but Vera knows my moves too well. I could never follow her, or figure out how to do anything in stealth mode. I do not want to jeopardize the stability of the office either and I would probably bungle that, because I am 100% sure that Vera is having an affair with somebody from the office. I don't know who, but there are enough pretty boy flyers, mechanics and male office personnel on my staff that she can have her pick of. She's hinted at it several times. She struts through the office in the sultriest way and I am too dense to figure out who it is. I suspect everybody. I need professionals and I don't care how much I have to pay to get the job done. I'll do anything to make sure we get this right. I'll only get one shot."

John's voice had gone up several decibels as he finished his small discourse. He was certainly passionate about the subject.

"Bravo, my friend. I finally see the John Bates I knew from long ago. "

"I now have to find a private investigator. I am not looking forward to this." Robert grinned inquisitively. "I have this idea that private investigators are washed out ex-police, only sober enough to do menial investigations. I need to find somebody good. I cannot waste my time with anybody like that. How do I even start?"

He scratched his head, reflecting on the arduous task that he had ahead of him.

"I know someone." Robert crossed his arms in front of his chest with satisfaction.

"You do? "John was taken aback, but reminded himself quickly that Robert did manage his own bar. He was bound to know countless people in all sorts of trades. "Who?"

"Yes, I do. Mary's best friend, Anna – You know- The petite pretty blond?"

John had no clue who Robert was talking about. He'd met one or two of his daughter's friends and boyfriends in the pub through the years, but could not conjure up the details of any one of those persons.

When John looked clueless, Robert continued.

"Never mind. So, this Anna…..The people who raised her, her godparents, they are Private Investigators. I believe their name is Carson. I met them once, at Mary and Anna's University Commencement. They seemed nice, or at least, decent people. Maybe you can explain to them what you need and if this is out of their league, they might be able to recommend somebody more appropriate. That way, you don't have to open the yellow pages, close your eyes and use your finger to choose a company."

"Well, that's not a bad idea, but, Rob – Nobody uses the yellow pages anymore. You google…"

"Ha, Ha. So, would you like me to contact them or not? I can call Mary right away."

"Yes, let's do that… and Rob? Do you think we could meet here, in your office, privately?"

"I guess so, but why?" Robert arched his eyebrows trying to guess the reason.

"I don't want to become paranoiac, but, Vera knows I come here often. If I was to go elsewhere, and she was having me followed, then she would immediately know and she could stop her "activities" long enough for this little venture of mine to be deemed a failure."

Robert was taken aback by this request.

"You think you're being followed?" He looked at John skeptically.

"Well, no. Not for certain. I am just covering my bases. You know Vera. Nothing is off limits with her. Who is to say she's not resorting to the same tactics I am?"

Robert sighed.

"Sure mate. It's not like Ripon is a great metropolis anyway. Let me see if they're not too busy to meet with you tonight."

* * *

><p>"Who is this John Bates anyway?" Anna inquired she held the door of the pub open for Mary. When Mary took the call, they were making their way back to their flat and they turned back. She immediately rang for her Pops and Elsie and they had all agreed to meet at the pub, per John's request. She didn't normally involve herself with the clients of infidelity cases, she left that to her Godparents, but, seeing as the call had come from Robert Crawley himself, she would involve herself a little more.<p>

"Papa and John served together during a Bosnia intervention in the nineties," responded Mary as she walked through and into pub. "They've been friends since. He was a helicopter pilot, and I don't understand how or why, but, he came into some money and was able to start his own company, here in Yorkshire. He's actually very rich, and owns a fleet of helicopters, doing all sorts of transport. I've seen him through the years, but we don't see him that often because I understand his wife is horrid. That, I believe, is why you are here."

"Mmmmm" thought Anna. He has his own company? That's the type of connections she needed to get a job. She would definitely sit in on this meeting.

"Hi Papa." Mary leaned in to kiss her father's cheek across the bar.

"Hi Mr. Crawley."

"Hello ladies…. and Anna, I've told you a million times it's Robert. Not Mr. Crawley."

Anna blushed and meekly answered back, "Yes, Robert. Thanks for the call."

"This is one of my best mates. He has a real issue that he needs help with and I thought about you and the Carsons. I am not sure if what he needs is up your alley, but, if it isn't, I thought you could advise him?"

"Absolutely. It will be our pleasure." Anna looked around, expecting to find the mysterious John Bates, but none of the current customers struck her as being a fortysomething pilot, owner of his own company. There were mostly groups of friends and a couple of people that looked nervous enough for her to believe they were on first dates.

Craning her head in all directions, she finally asked. "Where is the mysterious John Bates? I can't place him."

"Well, he's a little sensitive regarding this discussion and he asked to meet you in my office. He's upstairs."

"Mmmmm," was Anna's audible response. Upstairs? This wasn't an MI5 meeting. This man must be really uptight she thought.

"Stop it Anna."

"Stop what?" she turned and asked Mary.

"You're doing the "Mmmmm" thing where you just get lost in your thoughts."

Before Anna could answer, the chimes on the door announced that somebody had entered.

"You just had to park in that spot, didn't you?" was bellowed loudly in a Scottish brogue.

"Of Course, why wouldn't I? The closest is at least 300 yards away and this spot is right in front," he said matter of fact.

"So? Exercise would do you good!" Elsie looked at Charles' stomach when she spoke. "But no, now we are wedged in and it will take a good half hour of your turning the wheel to get us out of there."

Charles looked miffed that she had referenced his beer belly.

"Does it matter? Or are you in a hurry? Will you be missing Coronation Street?" His left eyebrow was raised, demonstrating he was being sarcastic

Elsie narrowed her eyes. She hated it when he guessed her true motivations. She had nothing else to say on the matter.

Anna rolled her eyes. Her Godparents were here, or Pops and Elsie as she called them. They did almost everything together, bickering loudly. When they were not on a case, it was impossible to not notice them. Some people thought that they were unhappy, that the little fights weakened them, but, Anna, who knew them better than no one, was the only one who could say that they were 100% devoted to each other. The most they could be apart was a couple of hours, and then they would spend some of that time on the phone. Elsie and Charles Carson lived for each other and they had been together a little over 30 years.

As if on cue, both turned around pleasantly to greet Robert, Mary and Anna.

Their boisterous demeanor slipped away to something akin the Edwardian era. Charles voice was deeper and Elsie's façade was pleasant and warm, ever the lady. Anna laughed internally. That is why the Carsons were so good at what they did. They could become a different set of people in an instant.

"Good Evening, Robert and Mary." They exchanged pleasantries and handshakes.

Then, they each took turns kissing Anna's cheek. "Hello, Love. It's been so long since we last saw you."

"It's been only three days," retorted Anna, confused. They had shared lunch as they compared notes and closed the Oliver Infidelity case. Had they already forgotten?

"Yes, a long time," stated Charles as he winked at Anna.

Anna rolled her eyes again, but laughed. She did adore them. She came to live with them when she was 14, having lost her parents in a car crash. Elsie was a friend of her mother's and they were her Godparents. Even when she did have some uncles that lived in America, her parent's written will gave the Carson's guardianship if it were ever to become necessary. Unfortunately, it had. While their first year was tumultuous as they became used to raising a teenager, the Carson's never having had children of their own; they soon came into easy living and got on very well as a family. Anna didn't know what she would do without them. She had learned their trade and become a reluctant junior partner. She wanted a bigger challenge, but dared not offend their sensibilities.

"So", turned Charles back to Robert. "There is a gentleman that may need our services?"

* * *

><p>After quick introductions, Charles, Elsie, Anna and John all sat in Robert's cramped office space, huddled around his desk, looking at each other. John's face reflected doubt, and he was having a hard time being discreet with his hesitation. The petite blond, Mary's friend, was too pretty and very businesslike. The man, Charles, was wearing tweed trousers, a cashmere jumper, and a dark sports coat with leather patches on his elbow. Brown suede loafers finished off his outfit. The Lady, Elsie, looked like a grandmother with glasses hanging by her neck on a chain, but, like Charles' twin, she was wearing similar tweed trousers, similar loafers and a similar cashmere jumper in another color. She wasn't wearing a sports jacket; instead, she had a colorful shawl draped around her shoulders. None of the three people with him looked like private investigators.<p>

Charles started the conversation. "I understand you may need our services, Mr. Bates, but you seem hesitant. Is there a problem?"

Anna's first impression of John made her swoon. He was wearing simple jeans, a classic white polo, a brown leather aviator type jacket and had sunglasses on him. To her, he looked like a mature Tom Cruise. Not that he looked like Cruise, just, knowing that John was a pilot; her mind took her to the infamous "Top Gun" movie poster. She saw the parallels. HE was handsome, even if he was a bit older than her. This pilot had very kind eyes, wore his hair a little longer and looser around his face and was a larger man. In any other type of situation, he might be her type, but as a customer, and a married one with problems, he was off limits. She would have to limit herself to admire his physique from a distance.

She was shaken from her thoughts by John's response to her Pops' question.

"I'll be completely honest with you and I mean no offense. I need a Private Investigator, but none of you three strike me as what I need."

Charles understood what this was about. They encountered this type of prejudice often enough in their profession.

"No offense taken, Mr. Bates, but, pray I ask – What exactly is your hesitation? Where you expecting us to be wearing a cape and mop hat, smoking a pipe a la Sherlock Holmes? Or a flowery shirt and shorts like Mr. Magnum PI in Hawaii? How about Anna here?" He turned to point at her. "Fancy her as an older Veronica Mars? Should she be wearing a backpack?" He turned to look at John, as his voice deepened. "Whatever your preconceived notion of what we should look like, I ask that you erase those from your mind."

John looked visibly sheepish as Charles continued on his small speech.

"Mr. Bates, we understand you have a need, but, we do not know what that need is. So, why don't we just talk, confidentially? We'll tell you if we can handle your needs and how we can go about them. If you do not feel comfortable with what we can offer, then, you are under no obligation to continue this conversation. As a friend of the Crawley's, we'll refer you to somebody else."

John did have to admit that he felt a little ashamed. After all, he had faced a lot of stereotypes in his career too. As a pilot, many people thought that in his relationship with Vera, he would be the one prone to cheating. After all, he spent much time away from home whenever he had work. That was ludicrous. In his eighteen miserable years of marriage, he had never cheated on her. Not once. He had opportunities, but that was not who he was. Yet, that is what the majority of people thought about pilots - That they were vain, philandering, prima donnas. Maybe he should give these people a chance. What did he have to lose?

"Forgive me. I am just a bit nervous. Just today I spoke to my solicitor and he recommended I hire a Private Detective. This has all happened a bit fast. I did not expect to talk to you so soon."

"Not a problem. So tell us. Do you suspect your wife is having an affair? _Is that what this is about?"_

"Well, yes", answered John. "But, it's a little more than that. There is a lot more at stake here. For a variety of reasons I won't get into now, we have been together 18 years, each one more miserable than the year before. She's hinted at affairs and told me to my face when we've had fights. This is not new. It's quite frequent that I hear about it, and yet, I have never once tried to investigate whether the allegations are true or not. Until now. I cannot continue to live my life this way and she has refused several times to grant me a divorce. I can force it through the courts if I can get the proof that I need, but, I MUST GET PROOF." He emphasized these four words vigorously. "She is very treacherous and manipulative. If she realizes what I am trying to do, to follow her and get this proof, she will come after me with a vengeance and I will lose it all. We are co-owners of Bates Airlift, Inc., a small helicopter transport company. When we divorce, our assets will be split in half and I will be able to buy out her portion. I intend to give her what is fair. She refuses now, but my only option lies in proving her infidelity. She has threatened me many times, telling me that she will ruin me if I attempt anything and that she will end up with full ownership of the company herself."

Anna sat there listening to this man. What a lifetime of misery. He wasn't like the typical spouses that came to them crying, because after living in blissful naivety, they suspected their partner was cheating. He had lived with this so long and new about it. This case, even if it was the tedious infidelity type that she loathed, was not the usual. If he didn't get proof, he may even lose his company. This entire case may require a little extra, and it might play into her desire to do something different. She needed to act fast before her Pops provided the normal options.

"Tell me Mr. Bates," Anna spoke, eliciting a grumble from her Godfather. He was used to doing all of the initial talking and negotiating. "Do you suspect who she is cheating with?"

John turned to look at her when she asked her question. He had noticed she was pretty, but, the moment she spoke to him, he saw confidence and a very direct personality. She was also very poised. He had to admit, if he had encountered her twenty years ago, he would have gone after her.

Still, he was able to focus to answer. "It could be anybody, but, I have reasons to believe it is somebody from within my company. She stays late sometimes when I know she has nothing else to work on. I also received an anonymous note, on my desk about a year ago, telling me that I shouldn't trust all my personnel. I am sure that has something to do with Vera."

"Mmmmm. I see," She was thinking quickly.

Charles injected just then, ready to explain what they could offer.

"I think Mr. Bates that we can offer you…

Anna cut him off.

"Our Premium Package." Anna took ahold of the situation, commanding John's focus while Charles and Elsie looked at each other with shock that they were trying to suppress so John did not notice. Anna had never taken over a client before.

"Your Premium package?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Our standard package would have us trail…What is your wife's name?

"Vera"

"We would normally trail Vera, implanting GPS devices, staking out those places where she is visiting, obviously wiretapping and closed circuit surveillance where possible, all in the hopes of taking the required pictures, or taping any incriminating conversations. We will obviously do all of that." She turned to look at her Godparents so that they knew she was not discounting any of their normal tactics. "But, the Premium package is what you need. Since the proof you need requires to be upheld in court, and some of our tactics may not be admissible, we will have to work twice as hard for the information you need. That requires extra labor. You need somebody on the inside. Somebody within your company that could provide the extra level of surveillance without creating any unnecessary suspicion."

'I am a little lost", John said. "How do I get somebody on the inside?" Anna turned to look at Elsie and Charles and both were wearing the same confused look John had. They immediately composed their faces, so when John turned to look at them, they looked every bit as confident as when they walked in.

"Easy," explained Anna. "You hire me to come work for you." This was it, Anna thought. She couldn't have come up with a better plan in such a short time. She needed work experience to give her credibility and hopefully another job in the future. John needed somebody he could trust on the inside. If she came to work for him, she could serve both purposes.

"Once I am there, I will actually work for your company, but, you get the added benefit that I will actually be working towards the goal of getting all of the necessary evidence you need to make sure that once this gets to court, it is irrefutable."

"That does sound very enticing. I must say. I just don't know how I could hire you without arousing suspicion. I have no open vacancies and any hiring has to be approved by myself, Vera and our Accountant. The moment I suggest this, Vera will be on to us."

Anna steered the conversation with an expertise that astounded her.

"There are several ways of going about it because not every company is the same. We understand that. If you cannot go through the process of actually hiring me, we usually suggest that you bring me as a post graduate intern and then rotate me through the departments. An internship usually lasts six months and has a token salary, but does not require you to pay me any benefits…..or, you take me as University level work experience which is similar, but, has different connotations and may elicit different expectations on your team regarding my abilities. As work experience, I would not have graduated yet, so, your employees might think they can abuse me. Either way has worked well for us in the past, right?" She turned to look at her Godparents, hoping that they had caught on to what she was trying to do. Elsie took the bait.

"Yes, Mr. Bates. Anna is old enough and has graduated, but she looks young enough to pull off any scenario you choose. She performs well as your inside resource, while Mr. Carson and I perform all of the outside surveillance. In addition, we have another resource, Joseph Molesley, a computer expert, who works with us on an ad hoc basis. He can do any sort of online data tracking that is required. He can hack into most computers and websites without people every finding out he was there. You get all four of us for the price of one. We simply roll the costs of the internship into our final price for our services."

Elsie actually managed the finances of the company and new exactly how much she would need to charge him. He looked almost convinced. Her tactic seemed to have worked.

"What about your success rate? Can I really be sure that we will have the outcome I need?"

Charles spoke up again, tired in this occasion of having Anna and Elsie speaking over him. This new Premium package that Anna had concocted was very new to them, but the client was very pleased. He was actually proud of Anna for stepping in and providing this alternative that he would have never offered on his own.

"I cannot guarantee that we will find the proof. What I can guarantee is that you are dealing with a professional group of people who will work tirelessly to achieve your goals. The fact that you cannot see us as private investigators is our advantage, because nobody ever suspects us. Anna is a graduate of Warwick University, and achieved exemplary scores on all her tests. She is bright, and organized and full of ideas and will even help you in your actual company. Her credentials are unimpeachable. To the untrained eye, Mrs. Carson and I are just a pair of old timers who probably got lost on their way to the local Community Center. That is how we operate. We have been doing this for almost twenty years and I can tell you this. Those who have something to hide will inevitably make a mistake and we will be there to catch them. All we need is time and patience. If you want this to happen in a day, you will be disappointed. It may take weeks for the mistake to be made, so, what we really need to know is how willing are you to get it right? How patient will you be?"

For the first time since she met him that evening, she finally saw John smile. He looked happy.

"I have all the time in the world. Let's do this."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This story will use some aviation terminology. My significant other is a pilot and he has provided insight. This story will have a great deal of legal terminology and situations as well. That is not my background. I will do my best to make everything sound legitimate and will investigate as much as I can to make this sound realistic, but, I may take some "legal" liberties, since I am not trying to write Pulitzer quality material. It is hard enough for me to understand the legal system in the US, so, trying to understand the English system would take more hours than I can actually put into the story. I would rather write it well than research for 100% legal accuracy. So, will you give me a pass?**

**Also, the Anna sparkplug bit is inspired by a scene from another popular series. Anybody care to guess?**

**Let me know what you think?**


	2. Welcome to Bates Airlift

**Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows!**

**This is very Anna-centric as we introduce her to most of the employees of the company and Vera. No Chelsie in this one. Not much happens, but it is a necessary chapter to introduce all the players.**

* * *

><p>After their meeting with John Bates, Anna felt on top of the world. It wasn't the most conventional way to get a position, and it wasn't even a position, but she needed something positive in her CV, anything different. John had decided for the Internship, that which would give Anna the most credibility and the ability to actually move around the office. This was just the thing that could help her. Most interviewers didn't value her licensed Private Investigator credentials and they mistook her for the type of potential employee who would unearth every dirty little secret within their corporation or small business. This then, was a dream come true. Even if the case was over quickly and they managed to provide him with the proof he needed, she would convince him that she was worth keeping a few months. Beyond her investigative duties, she did want to learn and help his business.<p>

They had met him once more a few days later, when he was sure he could get away without suspicion, and he provided the most recent picture of Vera, the registration of their vehicles, a list of properties they owned and a list of every employee that worked for him. Of course, Molesley had already done a basic background search for them, but it helped to verify that their client was being truthful with them too. His information provided seemed to match. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and was 44. She was surprised he was Irish. She had not picked up on that yet. Anna read his dossier several times; maybe too many times to be considered normal. There was something about him that was very interesting and she didn't know what it was.

Mr. Bates had also detailed for Anna the conditions of the internship. He had done his homework in the office, concocting a story about wanting to help the community by hosting an internship. He had argued that it would help them immensely, and the reasonable low cost was outweighed by the benefits. He also insisted that too much local talent ended up in London or Manchester, as Yorkshire did not offer enough career opportunities for talented graduates. His Controller, Anthony Strallan, signed off immediately. Vera had laughed at his proposal, arguing that he had never cared about his community before, but in the end, she signed off as well. IT meant she could pass on some of her tasks to somebody else. He had managed to make it as official as possible, even registering her with an Internship organization, that even Anna knew nothing about. He wanted to elicit no suspicion at all. If somebody asked him where Anna came from, he wanted to be able to say that she was sent by "Internships UK" and not somebody he had met at a pub. They also agreed to pretend they had never met before.

Thus, everything set and ready and today was her first day. She drove to work in her used car and prayed that it would get her safely to her destination in one piece. She was sentimental in keeping it, as it had belonged to her mother and it was now well over twenty years old. In the last couple of years, she had been stranded at least a couple of times in the middle of the road. It had not occurred to her that she ought to get a new one, as when she was out working as a PI, she was either using one of the company's vehicles or either with Pops or Elsie. She realized that she would need to get a new car soon, especially if this opportunity panned out.

She turned off the road in Elvington, on the Southeastern outskirts of York and came upon a large compound, positioned close to a rural landing strip that played host to the private aviation of the region. A huge sign "Bates Airlift Inc." hung on the fence, heralding that she was in the right place. She drove through the gates and pulled into an open parking space. She breathed in, deeply, willing herself to remain calm. She had a lot to accomplish and she needed her composure. She checked her mini voice recorder and positioned it inside her blazer pocket. She clicked it on and off to make sure it worked. It was voice activated and she never did a job without it. When she was ready, she stepped out and surveyed what was before her. A modern, yet small building which appeared to be the central offices, a large airfield, or landing strip behind it and a rather large hangar on the opposite side of the field. She visualized three different sized helicopters ensconced within. This was exciting. She had never been in a helicopter before and hoped that as part of her internship; maybe Mr. Bates would be willing to let her ride along somewhere.

She made her way diligently through the glass doors and stopped at the receptionist window. There were a couple of comfortable chairs and plants in this segregated area. The window was part of a wall that separated the entryway from the rest of the office space. There was a key code at the door, probably for security reasons. She greeted the pretty, ginger haired girl.

"Good Morning. I'm Anna Smith. I am reporting to work in an Internship."

The girl looked her up and down and for a moment, Anna thought that she was being scrutinized negatively, until a second later, the young lady smiled, offered her hand in greeting and said some words herself.

"Good Morning Anna. I am Gwen, the administrative assistant. Mr. Bates told me you would be coming."

Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Gwen's welcoming smile made her feel at ease instantly. Ever working, her mind went through the employee roster she had memorized before coming to work. This was DAWSON, Gwen – Staff Assistant. She seemed like a nice girl.

"Come through, I'll tell you where to put your things. It's still a little early and none of the Managers are here yet, but, they shouldn't be too long." The door buzzed and Anna pushed in.

Anna looked at her watch. It was 9:00am exactly. She needed to observe as much as she could. The offices were serenely quiet, but she did here distant typing on at least two keyboards. There were others working.

"Are you local?" Anna was startled by the question. "Local?" she responded back. Gwen was leading her within, towards a desk in the corner.

"Yes, are you a Yorkshire girl, or have you moved down from London, or elsewhere, for this?"

"Local – Ripon born and bred." She smiled and Gwen smiled back. "I'm glad. I'm a Yorkshire girl too - from Scarborough, but I did move for this job, although much good that's done."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been a staff assistant for a while now, but can't seem to move up. I really want to go into Sales. But, don't mind me. That's a story for another day. Today is about settling you in."

Gwen opened the top desk drawer and fished out a set of keys.

"This will be your desk for the time being. I checked your computer yesterday and it works fine…. As does your phone. I've printed all of the internal phone extensions for you to use and highlighted mine. Email addresses are also listed. This is your email and the instructions to access your account are here." She paused after her lengthy speech and handed the sheets over to Anna, adding, "You can keep your handbag in the large drawer. That's what I do."

Anna sat down in the chair for a moment. It was a glorious feeling. There was nothing grandiose about this desk, it actually looked a wee battered, but it was hers. She put her handbag away before Gwen caught on to her excitement. Snatching her mobile before closing the drawer, she turned again to look at Gwen. It seemed the redhead was reading her mind, because before she could even ask, her internal questions were answered.

"You're supposed to be with me this week, Mr. Bates told me as much, but I am sure that he wants to give you a proper presentation. There is a staff meeting called for 9:30am in the conference room. In the meantime, I'm desperate for some tea. Want to join me?"

* * *

><p>Anna sat in sturdy chair, facing Mr. Bates, a few minutes later. He'd come in while Gwen and Anna were preparing their beverages and summoned them to his office.<p>

He had gentleness about him, one that Anna had not picked up on while they were sitting in the cramped pub space. During those encounters, he was fidgety and nervous, not comfortable in his surroundings. Here, he seemed at peace. His space was austere, no fancy decorations or ostentatious artwork clamoring for attention. He had some framed pictures on one wall, she couldn't quite see what they were about, and some art prints depicting helicopters. He had plastic models on his desk, of two different types of helicopter, but that was it. The fanciest thing in his office was his chair. It was tall, black leather, and very imposing. If not for the chair, Anna would not have guessed that this was the office of the owner. It was so low key, that it gave her a sense of Mr. Bates' roots being humble. She'd have to ask him one day.

His clothing was also different. Instead of the "Top Gun" persona who had greeted her the previous two times, he was wearing tan slacks, a white shirt with no tie, and a dark blue blazer. He did look quite businesslike and that was a surprise. She liked it, though. As the owner, she thought he could afford to be more relaxed if he wanted. Whatever his reasoning, she had to admit that he cleaned up very nicely. She had not noticed that he had a hazel eye color. Now that she knew his origins, she listened intently and did see that certain words had an Irish lilt in them. All in all, he was quite captivating.

"Gwen, Ms. Smith and I will be along to the conference room in a few minutes. Can you make sure everybody's there?" Gwen nodded and went on her way.

He turned to look at Anna. In the light of day, with the sun streaming through the windows, she looked very pretty. He'd only seen her at night and he couldn't realize in the darkness of the pub how cerulean blue her eyes were. For whatever time she was meant to be here, she would definitely make this a good looking place. She was smartly dressed again too. A black pencil skirt, with a white top and a fitted red blazer made her look very chic. Her signature hairdo, all pulled back in a bun, made her look like she meant business. He was pleased. They might have a chance of pulling off this ruse. Anna was doing her part to play her role well, even the hint of excitement that was coming through. That was appropriate. He guessed interns would be excited on their first day. To manifest even the proper emotions impressed him. She might be better at this than he thought.

"I trust things have gone well this morning? No problem with Parking, Gwen settling you in?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Good, Ms. Smith. I want you to be comfortable while you are here."

"Thank you Mr. Bates, but, unless you call everybody by their last names, I suggest you call me Anna." He had just called Gwen by her first name, so, she knew that was the right way to go about it. "...and I will call you Mr. Bates, like everybody else does."

He nodded his head in acceptance. What she was saying was reasonable.

They had agreed to not say anything at all about the case inside the office, so, they limited their discussion to the mock internship that they had set up.

"We'll have a staff meeting and I will introduce you to everybody. After the staff meeting, you will spend the week with Gwen. She'll explain her duties and you'll learn everything she does. I have set up a rotation on how you will spend the next six weeks. Since we have six months to fill, we are going to go easy. At the end of those six weeks, we will plan for the next six and so on. Do you agree?"

"Yes, Mr. Bates." She took the document that he had prepared and looked it over. She was pleased. "I look forward to working here and learning your business."

He looked nervous but acknowledged her words.

"Right. Let's get a move on." He gestured for her to follow him and soon enough, she found herself in the conference room, where ten to twelve faces greeted her. It was a little overwhelming, but, she managed to keep her wits about her.

"Everyone here Gwen?"

"Everyone but Mrs. Bates, sir. She's not arrived yet."

Mmmm, thought Anna. _They lived together, but didn't drive in together_? How weird. That lent the truth to what Mr. Bates said. Vera often stayed late. To do that, she must come and go on her own.

"We'll go ahead then." He gestured to Anna to sit and they both took the two empty spots at the head of the conference table.

"Team, this is Anna Smith. Starting today, she will be with us for six months. Bates Airlift Inc. Has partnered with Internships UK to provide development opportunities for University Graduates. Anna will be our first intern."

Anna heard a couple of snickers, but Mr., Bates said nothing and continued.

"What that means, for those of you who are wondering…. Anna will rotate in all of our departments and work with all of you to learn what you do. An internship does not mean that she will do your work for you or that you will hand over the most menial of your tasks. She's not your maid either. She's not here to get you coffee or tea. She's not here to clean your desk. When she rotates in your department, she will share all of your tasks, both the boring and interesting ones. I will be monitoring her progress and will be working with her. I will be involved."

Anna observed the faces of everybody while Mr. Bates spoke. There were some upturned lips, but in general, everybody was taking in his words. She had to admit that she was impressed with the way he commanded their attention. That must have been his military side, although he was not militant at all.

"Any questions?"

"When will she be interning with me?" a young lad asked in the most audacious and sexy voice, getting a laugh from everyone. Anna felt uncomfortable at the way he looked at her.

"James, and this goes for everyone, you will kindly respect Ms. Smith."

Anna registered – KENT, James – Pilot, from the list. She put him down as a flirt in her mind. She could deal with him. She wondered if he had ever encountered the wrong end of a tazer before. Maybe she should do womankind a favor and introduce him to it.

"I will not tolerate any reports of misconduct or abuse towards anybody in this office. Do you understand?"

James sheepishly nodded his head.

"All right. Now down to business. Gwen, what is the first item on the agenda?"

* * *

><p>The meeting had been interesting. Besides learning about the business, she was learning about who every person present was. The Finance Manager, or Controller, as Mr. Bates called him, Anthony Strallan, gave an update of the revenue results for the month. He seemed introverted and lived up to Anna's stereotype of what an Accountant should look like. He had a pile of reports, thick glasses and wore a tie that looked like it belonged in the eighties. His hair had not been trimmed in a while and was badly combed, but he knew what he was talking about.<p>

Another chap, she recognized as being Irish from his accent, explained the maintenance rota for the month and that "Sophia" would be out of commission for a week. She thought it was sweet that the choppers had names. They all seemed to be women too – Brigitte, Audrey, Ava and Sophia – were the ones she heard. Taking advantage of a lull in bookings, and rearranging flight schedules for the week, she would undergo an engine overhaul to make sure she had no stress fractures or issues. He wore a blue zip-up pantsuit, with his name embroidered on a patch, "Tom". While there were two Toms on the list, undoubtedly, this was BRANSON, Thomas – Head Mechanic. Twice, when their line of vision crossed, he had smiled amiably at her. There was a very positive vibe about him and he spoke about the choppers as if he revered them.

The meeting continued with a woman talking about what was booked for the week. Anna surmised she must be O'BRIEN, Sarah – Scheduling and Logistics. She was one of the people who had snickered when Mr. Bates introduced her and had kept an upturned lip. Anna could not gauge much about her yet, except that she was middle aged and had no ring on her finger. Her make-up was overdone – too much eye shadow and the hue on her lips/cheeks were mismatched. Not that it was important, but she looked tacky. When she spoke, she chose to use every day vernacular which was unpolished. Anna certainly hoped she wasn't the one talking to the clients.

The meeting ended with a tall and handsome man that Anna guessed was the Sales Manager – CARLISLE, Richard. HE was a sharp dresser, in contrast to Ms. O'Brien. His shirt was nicely starched, and although he had removed his blazer, it looked expensively tailored. He mentioned that he was on the trail of a new client, CONOCO EXPLORATIONS, one that could generate many bookings; perhaps even requiring the lease of another helicopter. Mr. Bates looked pleased. To seal the deal, he would be heading to the Oil and Gas IP Summit held in London in the next three weeks.

Gwen added a new item, telling Mr. Bates that Mr. Edmunds of the Make a Wish Foundation wanted another meeting with him, with another potential case. He smiled and asked her to contact him as soon as possible.

There were others present, but they contributed nothing to the meeting and it was adjourned about an hour after it started.

As the employees dispersed and they made their way out of the conference room, Gwen turned to her. "Fancy a tour now?"

* * *

><p>"You have a golf cart as transportation?" Anna was impressed as Gwen positioned herself behind the wheel.<p>

"We do. Besides being the administrative assistant, I play concierge to any customers who arrive at our office for transport. "She backed out of the spot where it was parked and turned into the airfield. "Sometimes, I drive them to board the helicopter wherever it is parked on the tarmac. Believe me, when they have luggage, you want to use the cart." Anna surveyed the panorama around her. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. This was thrilling.

"Mmmm….but, I thought you picked up customers on rooftops or open fields and such. You handle customers here too?"

"Depending on the type of mission, or aircraft used, we can do several things. We do two main types of transport – Executive, where as you state, we can pick somebody up off of a building rooftop that has a heliport, but sometimes, the buildings are too archaic, and could be structurally compromised. We can pick them up in a field, or if they prefer, drive here if they are locals. We set it up to where it is most convenient for the customer. They usually require that we fly them to Leeds, Manchester and on occasion London, which we try to stay away from. Bates Airlift's success stems from the targeting of middle sized companies in the North East of England. London is oversaturated with providers, while this market is underserved."

"Mmmmm" mused Anna. That made sense. Gwen had made it across the airfield and was nearing the hangar. She could see Tom, already on a ladder, starting to fidget with the blades of a very large chopper.

"The other type of transport we do is moving people and equipment from the mainland to any one of the oil platforms out in the North Sea."

Anna looked confused. Gwen explained further.

"Basically, there are sixty two oil platforms in the North Sea, operated by several oil and natural gas companies. British Petroleum is the biggest operator and they own at least 33. The others are divided among the other Energy conglomerates of the world. Their staff lives and work on these rigs, but they rotate in and out after several weeks. They need provisions, parts and management visits. BP, owning so many, has their own fleet, but the others cannot afford to keep a fleet operation here, thus, they outsource to us. Our biggest machines, Sophia and Grace, are constantly doing these long haul trips and they can seat up to 19 persons and carry a load of many thousands of kilos. When we do those services, the oil rig staff either comes here, or they can choose to be picked up in a small compound Mr. Bates owns on the coast in Bridlington before they set off. It's the same on the way back. They can either get off on the coast, in case they live close by, or they can come here to York, where they can be picked up by their families or take a train from York anywhere in the country. "

They had pulled up right beside Tom who had heard part of Gwen's explanation and acknowledged their arrival by joining the conversation.

"These beauties work impressively. They give a lot and that is why I am pampering Sophia today."

"Sophia? Did you name them?" Anna grinned at the mention of the monikers.

"Oh, no… that would be the boss. He is very particular about what name he gives these beauties." He reached out to give Anna his hand. "I'm Tom Branson, Chief Mechanic and Avionics expert. My assistant mechanic and fueling expert, William Mason is on holiday, but, anything that William and I can help you with, just let us know."

She took in his firm handshake and realized there was nothing tentative or deceitful in his approach. He seemed very genuine. He was very handsome. _Might he be Vera's type_?

"Thank you Tom. How kind….So….. How many of these beauties are we actually talking about? How large is our fleet?"

"Well, let's see…Two Bell412's, two Sikorsky 92's, and two McDonnell Douglas 600N's equal six working aircraft plus Maggie there in the corner." He pointed at the smallest helicopter, sitting in its own bay. It was bright blue with golden zig-zag stripes emblazoned on the sides and it did not look very Executive at all. There wasn't room for more than the pilot and maybe a passenger or two. "She belongs to the boss."

"I see, and what are all their names?"

He then turned and pointed at the other aircraft sitting in the field. "That is Ava. This is Sophia. Out in service we have Audrey, Grace, Brigitte and Marilyn."

"Mmmmm" The whole thing sounded like a Hollywood lineup from the 1950's. Audrey must be Hepburn, Grace must be Kelly, Marilyn must be Monroe, etc. She just couldn't place the name Maggie. She would have to work on figuring that one out.

"Do you want to take a peek inside?" gestured the redhead as she pulled open the door and released the integrated steps that allowed them to board. Anna wanted to, so, she followed Gwen inside while Tom continued working on the rotor mechanisms on top.

"This is so nice," murmured Anna as she sat in one of the leather seats. Gwen took the opportunity to explain that while the majority of their bookings were Executive or oil rig transport, they did often reconfigure seats for whatever purpose was needed. "Look at this." She dislodged a mechanism on the side and a moved a seat back a few inches off of the tracks that supported it. "If we removed all of these seats, we could reconfigure this for medical evacuation and bring in a gurney.

Anna was impressed yet again.

"There are companies that specialize in this, but we specialize in oil rigs and we've had to bring sick people out before. This is just to explain to you, that there really is no limit to the things we can transport."

Before too long, they were back in the golf cart, and driving around the perimeter of the field, Gwen explaining where they stored their fuel, showing her the satellite dishes they used to collect weather information and so many other things. She couldn't imagine if they had walked around this concrete perimeter. In her high heels, her feet would have given up by now. She thanked God for the golf cart.

* * *

><p>On their way back, Gwen took her to the crew rest area, adjacent to the customer waiting room. That's when she finally saw her target. Vera. It had to be her.<p>

She was a mature woman, but very beguiling. She had jet long black hair, an ivory complexion and the most beautiful blue eyes Anna had seen. Her lips were full and red. Anna had seen the images that Mr. Bates had provided, but Vera was more beautiful in person than what her picture reflected. There was no need to compare, but Anna felt her own beauty inferior to that of this woman. She immediately thought of Mr. Bates. No wonder he had spent 18 years with her. Men wouldn't be able to turn their eyes away. That was the case now. The very unaware co-owner had her arms wrapped around James, while another young man looked on. Both young men were mesmerized, enough that they did not see Anna and Gwen come in.

"Mrs. Bates," called Gwen.

The woman turned to face them. "This is Anna Smith, the new Intern."

She unwrapped her arms from James' body and turned to look fully at her.

"So, you're Anna." She looked her up and down, something Anna was not prepared for. Vera had a haughty attitude, almost dismissive of her.

She turned to leave, not before adding. "I should have known you weren't picked for your capabilities." Without a second glance, she walked away.

_What was that?_ Anna was fuming internally, but managed to keep composure. It helped that Gwen squeezed her arm as a sign of support. She wouldn't have said anything; she was not going to put her position in jeopardy because of this woman. She needed to be here. Yet, she had doubted John Bates when he spoke of his wife as being manipulative and treacherous. Most of their clients exaggerated the faults or virtues of their partner and she had learned to take their words with caution and never believe their stories 100%. She had never been drawn in to anybody's story of woes, but there was something about John Bates that made her empathize with him. He had resisted speaking more about her and she could see he was a gentleman. Also, she never considered herself beautiful. She was comfortable in her own skin, but always managed to believe her pale skin made her a little plain. Thus, Vera's insinuation that she got on because of her looks was a great surprise.

She was brought out of her thinking by James.

"Hello Anna."

Again with the flirty voice. He seconded Vera's actions and looked her up and down as if she was a piece of meat_. What was it with these people and their rude introductions?_

"Oh, just ignore him. No offense, but he does that to all the women." Anna wasn't sure if the young man's attempt to diffuse the situation was hurting her ego or not. She did not want that type of attention, not after what Vera had just said. The young man stretched out his arms and looked like he meant no harm, so she took it.

"Alfred Nugent. You're Anna right?"

"Yes, Alfred. Pleased to meet you." James put out his hand also. "I'm James, but you already know that. You can call me Jimmy." Anna took his hand too. She needed to learn about all of them. She couldn't play the offended card.

She looked around. This was definitely a Pilot's lair. There were large screens adorning the room with live weather feeds from all over the United Kingdom. An open microphone squawked what appeared to be messages from a control tower. There was equipment Anna couldn't place. Detailed navigation maps adorned the walls. Big comfortable chairs dotted the room.

As far as she remembered, there were seven pilots on the list. There were five others unaccounted for. Somebody in this office had to be Vera's lover.

"Well, you know I'm new here and I don't know much about anything. What can you tell me about your group?"

Alfred chimed in.

"Jack Ross is off today. Daisy Robinson, Evelyn Napier, Tony Gillingham and Michael Gregson are currently on missions. I have a York-Leeds service in about an hour and Jimmy here," he patted James back forcefully, "he is on call, in case something comes up."

"Have you been here long?"

"I've been here for about a year. Daisy and I were hired at the same time." Alfred answered truthfully but her mind wandered. She was pleased that they had a female pilot among their ranks. It had nothing to do with the case, but it spoke well of Bates Airlift's attempt at gender equality. She wanted to meet this intrepid woman as soon as possible.

"I've been here for six months," explained Jimmy. "The others have been here longer. Michael is the Chief Pilot, he has been here the longest and after the boss, he has the most flight hours. He's pretty good and flies our most challenging missions. He is followed by Evelyn. Both these guys can land on moving oil rigs, in the ocean, during bad weather with full loads."

"Sounds fascinating." She was impressed, but her mind wandered again. Vera wouldn't be too obvious. Just because she was hanging on to Jimmy, meant nothing. In fact, she was almost too sure it wasn't him. He was trying too hard to be macho, to be seen as a ladies man. Anna would bet he was a closeted homosexual. There was something about him that just wasn't natural in his attitude. Alfred didn't look like the obvious choice either. He was looking at Vera with puppy dog eyes when they came in. Worse – like a puppy in a puddle. She was sure he was sweet on her, but Vera would not risk a liaison with somebody who she couldn't trust.

She focused again on the conversation.

"Jack and Tony have been here about three years each and they are being trained for the overseas flights as well. That's all of us. I think Daisy is due back in a few hours. She left at 7:00am on an emergency run to pick up some organs in Sheffield needed for transplant in Manchester. She radioed earlier that she was on her way back."

They showed her around, taking her to their locker rooms, complete with a couple of private shower stalls. The men explaining that they often did back to back missions, sometimes they were rained on, other times they helped with the inspection and airworthiness check of the helicopters in the hangar, leaving them sweaty. They always needed to look neat and professional for their clients. They also had a quiet rest area, sectioned off. There were reclineable loungers and no windows, for a darker, restful place. Some missions were exhausting and they needed power naps to stay alert. Gwen advised her that now and then, everybody in the office had made use of them and assured her that before her six months were over, she would be there too.

* * *

><p>"It's about time your back," exclaimed the woman Anna recognized as Sarah. She was curt and biting.<p>

"Sarah, it's only been an hour. I appreciate you answering the phones for me. Anything important I should know?" Gwen was very pleasant about it. The girl did have tough skin if she had to deal with the likes of this women so often.

"All I did was answer your phones. I couldn't get any of my own work done. Thankfully, now you have her." Sarah gestured by tilting her head in Anna's direction.

Anna thought it was her cue to introduce herself formally.

"Yes, I will be helping Gwen this week. I'm Anna. So, you're Sarah?"

Anna put out her hand and Sarah shook it reluctantly.

"Yes, I am. Now, can you get back to work?"

"Just give us ten minutes. I need to introduce her to Accounting." Gwen pulled Anna and started walking before Sarah could object.

She rolled her eyes and sighed audibly.

"Fine. Be quick about it." As an afterthought, she added, "Oh, and I patched Mr. Edmunds of Make a Wish through to Mr. Bates. You don't need to call him anymore."

* * *

><p>"I am very pleased, so very pleased indeed. I am as happy as a bee in a flower patch. No, that doesn't make sense. How about as happy as a bear in a bee hive? Wait, do bears like honey or is that a Winnie the Pooh myth? You do know Winnie the Pooh, right? Or is he before your time? You are so young, all of you. Oh, bother! I'm just happy. I believe, no doubt, you will be an asset to this company. John was very excited about getting an intern and I must agree with him. We could certainly use the help. You wouldn't know it but, we are certainly understaffed here in the back office. I keep telling the Bates's to hire somebody else, but, Mrs. Bates doesn't want anybody new. I don't understand why, as it would only be good for the business, there is plenty of revenue to fund it, so you here makes me happy… Very happy…. I tell you, this is something good for you to be here."<p>

Anthony Strallan looked very positive, but, he could not stop talking. She could hardly get a word in edgewise. Half of what he spoke did not make sense at all.

"Gwen, have you introduced the rest of my team?" Gwen didn't get a word in either. She attempted to respond, but he answered for her. "No, you haven't, I am sure. You've probably already gone to the hangar and crew room, but not Accounting. We are usually last on the list, the least sexiest department, but, I don't mind. We can introduce you now."

Without saying another word, he walked out. Gwen smiled at Anna, trying to suppress a giggle. _Least sexiest department? _Anna couldn't help but giggle silently too. Anthony Strallan was an endearing man who had a mind of his own. _Could he be the type to fall prey to Vera_? Maybe. She'd have to see them together to reason this out.

"Come now ladies," came his voice across the hallway. There she encountered two more employees from the list. She immediately knew that they would be BAXTER, Phyllis and BARROW, Thomas – both listed as Accounting.

"Team, this is Anna, who you saw at today's staff meeting. This is Phyllis." He pointed at a quiet lady in the corner. "She maintains our spare parts Inventory, she is our purchasing agent, and she is also accounts receivable." The woman was very quiet and meek, but she smiled graciously at Anna before getting back to work.

"Pleased to meet you, Phyllis." The woman looked up again and smiled graciously, but said nothing. Anna thought that was odd. She wasn't rude, just maybe introverted?

"…and this here is Thomas. He manages our bank accounts, generates payroll, and does accounts payable."

Thomas was more affable. He stood up, offered his hand and uttered a quick "Pleased to meet you Anna," before turning his eyes to look back at his computer. Phyllis had been meek, but Thomas looked more ambivalent. He didn't acknowledge her again even while Anthony continued to talk without end.

"I oversee them both, but, I also do the assessment of profitability in our contracts, I provide analysis, revenue projections, and so many other things. You'll get to see all of it when you rotate in our area. Mr. Bates sent us the schedule, but, I have not looked at it yet, so, I do not know when it will be your turn, but, I look forward to having you work with us. Do you agree, team?"

Both Phyllis and Thomas looked up, said "Yes", and then looked back down again.

* * *

><p>Anna fell onto the sofa the minute she walked into her flat. She lied down along the length of it and let her legs hang over the edge, dangling her shoes until they fell off of her feet.<p>

"You look tired," offered Mary who came out of her room to investigate.

"I am tired." Anna pulled herself up to rest on her elbows, able to see Mary much better from this angle. "….Tired, but, very, very happy."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you have it! Now you know all of the staff. In the next chapter, the investigation starts! Tell me what you think?**

**To LC - I hope to do Chelsie justice in this story and thank you for reading!**


	3. Cue in the Carsons

**Cue in the Carsons…..**

* * *

><p>"Is this the car?" Elsie looked around to make sure nobody was standing close to them.<p>

They were wearing their usual matching street outfit for this part of town, something similar to what they donned when they met John Bates. The only difference was she was sporting a grey wig, making her look older than she was, and he, although he had a head of hair to be proud of at his age, a very tacky and misaligned hairpiece. They had realized, through the years, that they usually only needed something small to alter their appearance. Certain things made sense in certain areas and when their geography changed, so did they. The trunk of their car and their full service surveillance van was full of accessories. The average person didn't pay attention when they were out and about and nobody focused on them enough to determine if they were out of place or doing something inappropriate. It didn't take much to carry out their tasks. All it took was confidence; to give the feeling that they belonged and that they were doing no wrong. It certainly helped that there were stereotypes regarding people of their age. They played into those expectations as often as they could. Today would be no exception.

"Why do you even ask? Have we not followed it for the last two days to this coffee shop?" Charles asked in a low tone, making sure that nobody could hear him.

They had followed Vera from the Bates' residence to this coffee house for two days. It was the start of a pattern they had detected. They would never tamper with the cars in proximity to the Bates' residence, as they could not afford to be seen so close to those quarters. Neither would they get close to the Bates Airlift compound. That was Anna's territory to control. Instead, they took much of their required steps out in the open – on city streets. They knew most of Yorkshire like the palm of their hands. They were not limited to Ripon or York. They had worked as far north as Darlington, as far east as Scarborough, down South to Leeds and west to Blackburn. It was a very generous territory, and they blended into the background perfectly. To the untrained eye, they were just another set of pensioners out for a stroll.

As Vera had parked to get her daily caffeine dose, it was their time to move. This time, they didn't even follow her from home. They parked around the corner from her expected destination and waited. As predicted, she drove up.

"You silly man. Yes, I know this is the car. I am being extra sure."

She paused, then reacted quickly, ordering him about.

"Do it quickly. Do it now."

They followed their usual trick. He bent to tie his shoe lace and used the hood of the car for support. Elsie blocked the view from the coffee shop windows. To anybody, it looked like she was supporting her husband who had bent down. In an instant, Pops slipped the GPS device into the rim above the wheel well and it automatically adhered to the inside on account of the magnet that was part of the whole ensemble. He did a good job of placement, as it was not visible at all.

"Ohhhhh," he grumbled when he was trying to get up and Elsie took his arm. "My knee….. ahhhhh." It was all a part of their act. He put his hand on the hood of the car, solidifying their need to be there.

"Are you in pain love?" Elsie asked loudly as she put his arm around her to help bring him up.

"Oh, just give me a minute and I'll be ship shape." He turned to gaze into her eyes. "You're such a doll to your old husband."

Elsie continued to block the view as he grumbled loudly and acted accordingly. Soon his body was upright.

"Oh, never mind love. Who else would help you, if not I?"

He limped forward with his wife next to him. As soon as they reached the corner, they disengaged themselves and moved at a faster pace until they were safely stowed within their car. They turned it on and went home. Vera was going to work. Now was not the time to track her. They would wait a few hours.

* * *

><p>Anna pulled into an available spot just as John Bates was parking himself. She had chosen to come early to get a better understanding of the office space and wanted nobody around to do this. It was a surprise, then, to see him pulling into the compound. It was 7:30am. He'd been arriving to the office at a quarter after nine every day. He wasn't supposed to be there, at least not that early.<p>

He was handsome. That was the first thing she noticed as he stepped out of his car. It was chilly this morning and he had donned a black overcoat. He looked like such a gentleman. Then she noticed he walked with a swagger. _Wow. That was sexy,_ she thought. It made him look very confident as he made his way towards her. He was gallant and that left her momentarily confused. She had butterflies in her stomach…._But why?_ He was just a client, she shouldn't be nervous. She had spoken to clients a million times. _What was wrong with her?_

"How are you getting on?" was what came from him the moment they stood facing each other, close to the office entry. They both hesitated to go inside, knowing that they wouldn't be able to talk as freely.

She snapped out of her muddled state in time to answer him. "Good, so far. I came early to do some reconnaissance. I didn't think there would be anybody else here."

He looked interested, yet not quite knowing what that was she meant in terms of private investigations. He'd only used the word during the war, and it seemed too bellicose a concept to introduce into their conversation. "Reconnaissance?" he repeated.

"….Just getting a better feel for all of the nooks and crannies in your office space and see if there aren't any surprises. Sort of like a security sweep. I'll be doing them regularly until the investigation is concluded. We want to be sure Vera doesn't suspect anything, and knowing everything about your offices will come in handy. I want to know what I am working with and I'll soon have my short-list compiled."

He generated a small smirk on his lips that was very endearing to Anna.

"I am sure that sooner or later I'll understand all your jargon, as I am sure you'll understand ours. Please do tell me – What do you mean by short-list?" His smile was too infectious to ignore. She responded in kind with a giggle.

Oh God, she thought to herself. Did that come out as a normal laugh or did she do a flirty laugh? She wanted him to take her seriously as both a Private Investigator and employee. Him seeing her as a flirt would not do. She composed herself to answer him.

"We'll be looking at everybody, of course, but we can't do full surveillance on the entire male staff at the same time. In a few days, I will have a list of the most likely candidates. My associates are implanting a GPS tag on Vera today, so, once I have set the short list, we will be attacking from both ends."

He looked very pleased, but his face grew dim in an instant.

"You've met her, I reckon."

"Yes, and she was dismissive of me and a little rude, if I'm honest." She didn't want to offend him, but she did roll her eyes. "….. that is a really good thing. That means, as far as I am concerned, that she has no idea."

His demeanor grew a little sad.

"I need this to work. I can't take much more of her." There was something in his eyes that pulled her in. She felt for him. It was raw truth what he was saying. He was in pain. Without thinking much, she found herself reaching out to touch his arm. She squeezed reassuringly.

"We will Mr. Bates. If there is something to find, we will find it."

He smiled, her heartfelt encouragement doing the trick. Without thinking much, he put his hand on top of hers.

They had shaken hands before, at the pub, but it was all very businesslike. Both Pops and Elsie were there too, but right now, Anna could not understand why his hand on her was causing palpitations in her chest. She saw him react to something as well and he pulled away.

Shaken by their contact, she moved forward and concluded their conversation.

I'll suggest we meet at the pub in a couple of days for us to report back our initial findings. I'll let you know when. It's still early days, but we want to keep you informed."

"Excellent."

* * *

><p>John Bates closed the door to his office, sat down in his chair and put his head between his hands. Buggar! Buggar! Buggar! He chanted to himself over and over. It was very inconvenient to have this feeling overcome him. Anna Smith, whom he had only met recently, had touched him most innocently and when she did, his heart almost stopped. There was something about her. Something he could not explain. He had had 18 years of miserable marriage, yet he had not turned around to look at another woman during this time frame. She was the first that had inspired any sort of feelings at all. <em>But what were they? ….Gratitude for what she was doing? ….Hope maybe, as a promise of a better future for him? or god forbid, lust? <em>He groaned loudly at the thought of the last one. He was so close to terminating his marriage to Vera in the most legally sound manner. He could not let anything get in the way. He would have to work extra hard to make sure that whatever this was, whatever feeling happened upon him – that it should vanish.

_What would she think of him? Could she tell that she had affected him?_ He asked those and other burning questions over and over. It was unbearable for the first hour that morning. When he started to hear the other employees arrive, he remembered what brought him so early to begin with. He had safety declarations to file with the Civil Aviation Authority. That was it… He would throw himself into his work just like he had done for the better part of two decades. Bates Airlift was his mistress and there was room for no other.

* * *

><p>Anna walked as far into the office as possible, far enough that she knew he was nowhere near. In a small hidden corner, close to accounting, she put both hands against the closest filing cabinet to steady herself. She breathed in and out, trying to regulate her heart beat.<p>

_What was that?_

_How could she have been that bold to laugh, then, touch him?_ If Pops knew about this, he would be upset. Rule #1 of their partnership was that you keep your distance and never get emotionally involved. The raw pain in his voice had moved her. This was not the time to be moved. She finally had what she wanted – a different type of investigation and the opportunity to do more with her life. She couldn't mess that up.

Whether it was his kind eyes, gentle commanding presence or that definite lust-inducing swagger, she needed to get a better hold of her actions. She could not allow these feelings to get in the way. He needed her more than ever.

Her morning exploratory mission was a success. She had kept away from the individual offices as they were all locked and concentrated on the public areas. She found no obvious devices and discovered a few premium locations where she could rig her own when the time came. Now that her work for Carson's Private Investigators was finished, it was time to start for Bates Airlift.

Internally, things had progressed with meeting the rest of the staff she had not encountered on Gwen's initial tour. Daisy, was younger than Anna would have expected, but not too young to not have the adequate credentials. She bypassed the traditional university or trade education and went to flight school as soon as she passed her A level exams. As a female pilot, she absolutely loved having Anna in the office, commenting that she lived in a world made of mostly men, so, she was thrilled to have more female company at Bates Airlift. She was a bit of a chatterbox and had let it slip that Sarah was always in a bad mood, Mrs. Bates never talked to any of the women except Sarah. Phyllis was nice, but you couldn't get her to talk unless it was absolutely necessary. She wasn't mean, just not communicative. Gwen was the only other female in the office that spoke to her, so, having a third girl, and all of about the same age made her very happy. Anna thought she was sweet, if a little bit outspoken, but most of all bold and ambitious to take on a career that few women ever ventured into.

The other men - Michael Gregson, Evelyn Napier and Jack Ross - she had met them as well. They were all pleasant. What astonished her was they were all so handsome. At some point, she thought it might be her mind playing tricks on her and that she should not uphold the myth that all men in uniform were gorgeous, but who was she kidding? They were. Their uniform was not even that becoming either. It was a tan, zippered jumpsuit with their names embroidered on the right hand side over their breast. Anna concluded that it must be their confident swagger as they walked about. Just like John Bates, they walked like they owned the world. It must have been a trait shared by the pilots, as no other male in the office did anything similar.

Through their conversation, she discovered that Michael and Evelyn were married and that Jack was American and engaged to be married to an English girlfriend. Still, attached or not, that meant nothing in terms of their character and anyone of them could be Vera's lover. With so many infidelity investigations under her belt, nobody knew better than she did. At the moment, they were all under suspicion.

She'd also had the opportunity to interact more with Richard Carlisle. Although she had met him briefly at their staff meeting, he had left immediately after to attend to some clients. He was very smooth and charming, but not overbearing. He had the right level of charisma needed for his job. He was rarely in the office, so she could not pick up any other "vibe" about him.

Anna had been working with Gwen during those days and investigation aside, she loved it. She couldn't begin to work on her case in earnest until she learned the ins and out of the business and she was trying her hardest to grasp everything quickly. While Gwen did not hold the most glamorous job, she had plenty to do and the days passed quickly. She handled all calls for both Mr. and Mrs. Bates, besides typing up letters and the basic administrative duties. Anna also understood Gwen's concierge role more clearly, as several clients had come, and she had helped escort them to the waiting area.

There was a finesse about her that made her perfect for a Sales type position. She was very outgoing, very competent and knowledgeable, she was impeccably groomed, all very professional and in good taste, and had phenomenal persuasive abilities. Just yesterday, one of their most important Executive clients, Mr. Wiggleton, a curmudgeon by all accounts, came and was annoyed that Daisy was not available to transport him. He bellowed, very upset, as he had clearly stated in his booking that he was flexible on his departure time as long as she was piloting the chopper. He was an older man, with a clear penchant for younger women. He had winked at Anna when they were introduced. Not that he would try anything, Gwen later told him he wasn't that type of a pervert. He just liked company of the female variety. It was a clear oversight of Sarah's as she had booked Daisy on another flight and she was not there that at the moment and could not be back for several hours. To diffuse the situation, she had gotten approval from Mr. Bates to offer him a discount on his next flight, and had even reassured him that Alfred, his booked pilot, was a fan of Leeds United, just like him. She knew that was one topic he could never get enough of. That appeased the man greatly. The last they saw of him and Alfred, they were boarding the chopper while they talked about MaCormack's goal from the previous game.

"You are so good, Gwen. I thought he would blow a gasket."

Gwen was embarrassed by the compliment, but Anna persisted.

"You should be in Sales, or somewhere with more responsibility."

Gwen sighed.

"That is my goal. I've asked Richard if he would allow me to either accompany him on a Sales call, or let me help in any of the conventions in which he participates, but he always tells me that I am more needed on the phones. To be honest, he is a bit of a misogynist. Thomas asked the same thing once and he had no problem taking him."

Anna didn't know how to respond, but she thought of how reasonable John Bates seemed to be. How could he have a female pilot in one department, but stunt the growth of a female in another? It didn't make sense.

"Have you talked to Mr. Bates? What does he have to say?"

"I spoke to him recently about my future here and he has told me that he will help me and that is part of the reason I am still here. I would have already left to look for another position with more potential, but he is a kind man to work for, and to be honest…. I like this company and aviation in general. I think I could do so much more if they would let me."

Anna thought this was the perfect way to ask her questions about Mr. Bates. She was forming a good opinion of him, but she still needed to be certain she was helping him for the right reasons. Even if he was paying for their services, and regardless of whatever feelings he was manifesting in her, she and the Carson's had always agreed that the moment they realized their customer was lying to them, or if there was anything suspicious about the information they were gathering, they would come together to discuss terminating their case. They had done it in the past a couple of times. No money was worth a guilty conscience. Most notable among those instances was a case where they discovered that a missing person they were searching for had put out, the last year, a restraining order for abuse from their client. They would not be a party for somebody's continued misfortune. Thus, she had to make sure that John Bates was who he said he was and that his allegations, as presented to her, were his motivators, and not anything else.

"You've been here two years, right?" Gwen nodded in agreement. "Almost three," she countered.

"Is Mr. Bates as nice as he seems? He comes across as very fair."

"He is very nice, and very generous. At Christmas, he gives us a very substantial year-end bonus. He says it is his appreciation for making the company what it is. I feel sorry for him sometimes, though."

She needed to steer the conversation to what she needed to know. She lowered her voice to a whisper. Even though they were separated from the rest of the staff, both Mr. and Mrs. Bates offices were in their general vicinity and it made no sense to be caught gossiping, and much less about either of them.

"Oh, really? Why is that? Is it because of Mrs. Bates? I don't know much about her, but, what I've seen the last two three days doesn't give me an awful good impression of her."

Gwen looked embarrassed, and Anna thought she was having misgivings about talking freely about her boss to somebody so new and unproven….. Because Anna had to admit, that she was still unfamiliar and relatively unknown. She hadn't proven herself as anything more than an eager new employee. It looked like Gwen was trying to determine whether she should be trusted. She needed to work on that.

"I'm sorry," concluded Anna, but still trying to coax Gwen smoothly. "Please don't feel like you need to share anything you're not comfortable with. I may have over spoken, and for that, I apologize."

Gwen smiled. Seemingly, that had done the trick. Anna liked that about Gwen, her instinct was to protect Mr. Bates.

"Don't be," she responded. "You hit the nail on the head. I don't know why she treats him so poorly, but she does. She's not that obvious in front of the others, but, I've heard and seen many things because of my proximity to both of them."

Perhaps Gwen could give her a lead to start off with.

"Mmmm. She was flirting the other day with Jimmy and Alfred, wasn't she?" Anna's tone reassured Gwen that she rejected that behavior.

Gwen nodded.

"She flirts with all of them. Even Thomas, and he's gay." She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Sometimes I think she does it on purpose to get a rise out of him, to see if he will lose his cool in front of us, but, he rarely does. I have heard them fighting, but, that is usually behind closed doors."

"What about him? Does he flirt with the staff?" Anna had to know if what she experienced in the morning was his typical behavior. He didn't directly flirt with her, that she knew, but he smiled at her and touched her in a way that your boss would never do.

"Never. He is the most polite, correct boss one could ever have. I think he respects us too much and would never provoke her by using any one of us."

Anna felt relief that John Bates was as genuine as she thought he was. Gwen wouldn't lie. She was only one employee out of the 17 total here at the firm, but her words gave Anna more confidence. They also made her more nervous. _If he never flirted with the others, what was that this morning?_ _Was he responding to her stupid nervousness around him?_

They were interrupted by Vera calling from her office. She didn't pick up the phone and dial the extension she needed, she was bellowing loudly from her desk.

"Angie, come here. I need you."

Gwen and Anna looked at each other. Who was she calling?

Vera walked to her door when nobody responded.

"Angie – are you deaf?" She was looking straight at Anna. "I have been calling you."

Gwen responded for both of them.

"Mrs. Bates, did you mean you wanted Anna?"

She now pointed directly at her.

"You, whatever your name is – Angie or Anna – get me some tea. One sugar only."

With that she turned her back on them and walked back to her desk.

Anna was stunned, but slowly starting to fume. _Wasn't asking somebody else for your beverage a thing of the past? Hadn't that been phased out in the seventies and eighties?_ Vera was playing a game. That was certain. She wouldn't let it get to her. She stood to get the damn tea, reminding herself what her true goals were. She wasn't here to cause a controversy. She was here to do a job.

Gwen held her wrist to stop her. Anna swiveled until she faced Gwen who had already started talking.

"She did that to me initially. It only stopped when Mr. Bates overheard her once. He doesn't care for that type of bullshit. His words, not mine. Report that back to him as soon as you can, or she'll be ordering you about to no end. Do it…. He'll listen to you."

* * *

><p>Anna balanced the mug of scalding tea and walked towards Vera's office. A man's voice surprised her and she kept herself away from the door frame for just a moment so that she could listen. It appeared to be Thomas.<p>

"I hear Switzerland is nice this time of year. Maybe you should go."

"That would be nice, but not now. Maybe later…."

Anna came into the office then, wanting to gauge their reaction. They stayed quiet, and said nothing. Anna suspected they did not want her to hear their conversation, so, the topic must be private, but Switzerland meant nothing at the time being. Maybe she was planning a vacation without Mr. Bates?

All of a sudden, getting Vera's tea had its advantages. She would be able to pick up on tidbits of useful data. She would be sure to be available as much as possible.

"Here you are Mrs. Bates. Tea with one sugar as requested." She set it on the desk and took a step back, expecting something – anything really – to come from Vera, but nothing did.

Vera just looked at her and didn't even thank her.

Thomas smirked. He was gay, Gwen had confirmed it, and he wasn't hiding his sexuality, thus, Anna did not think he was the mysterious lover. They could have been talking about anything, but the fact that they kept quiet got her to thinking that she might need to be careful around him. Her sixth sense told her that she had to watch out for him too.

* * *

><p>Anna caught John in the car park as he prepared to leave for the day. She was ready to depart too. Noticing that there was nobody, she quickly came to him. She chided herself for forgetting to ask him this morning. When he put his hand on her, all coherent thought had escaped her. She would make this quick, lest these questionable feelings that overpowered her in the morning manifest themselves again. She only needed a minute of his time.<p>

He saw her approach and shuddered. He had spent half the morning convincing himself that his morning reaction was ridiculous. His thoughts were very inappropriate. She was a professional - an undercover Private Investigator in his firm, no less. He willed himself to stay calm.

"Before I forget, Mr. Bates, I'll need to see a copy of the anonymous note you mentioned when we first met. Please find a way to get it to me soon."

She was curt and emotionless.

"Is that all you need?"

Following suit, he was curt and emotionless as well.

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll find a way."

"Thanks."

"No, Thank You."

They both turned around and went on their way, not before looking back, at different intervals, to see the other retreat towards their car.

* * *

><p>Has she started moving?" Pops and Elsie were parked two kilometers away from the Bates Airlift compound. Elsie managed the hand held GPS device that would track her movements for them, while Pops would do the driving. As soon as the device picked up on her moving, they would start up their car and turn on to the main road, anticipating that she would take the same one. Measuring their speed, she would eventually catch up to them and they would let her pass them, continuing to follow her. This slight maneuver helped make sure she did not get the sense that she was being followed.<p>

"You ask me every time and every time, I tell you that I will advise you when the target has started moving…..so, no. She has not started moving." Elsie remarked quite sarcastically. He never failed with his impatience. She knew he was most excited when they were just about to trail somebody.

Suddenly, the device chirped as expected, signaling their target was on the move.

"You heard that?" She turned to look at her husband. He pouted his lips.

"She is turning on to the B1228 as expected. She should pass us in about five minutes." Elsie smiled, very pleased that they had anticipated her actions and that they could finally start to follow her. It was 7:30pm, a full half hour after her husband had gone home for the day. They had seen him drive by too.

"I'll get on the road." Pops started the car as per their plan and meandered on the road.

"We should see her any moment now." Elsie kept studying the signal given off by the hidden artefact in Vera's automobile. "There she is." The car came into view. They were almost nearing the intersection to the A1079 where she should turn left if she was going home. They let her pass them. Once Vera came into the interchange, she did not merge onto the A1079. She continued north, towards Murton on the A64. The Bates' lived in a large home they had built in Osbaldwick, a farming community two miles east of York. She could only go so far on the A64 and not turn left towards her house. She missed the last possible turn, confirming that she was not headed in that direction.

"By golly, I think we have a live one!" Pops was visibly excited. The idea that something could be happening never ceased to excite him and the thought that Vera was doing exactly what they wanted was always a moment of celebration.

Elsie laughed. "Settle down, love. Perhaps she should actually go somewhere before we celebrate? Mmmm?" Vera could be heading to the supermarket for all they knew. It was still too early to tell.

After a few more kilometers, they began to realize that she was heading towards the Monks Cross Shopping Centre on Malton Road. Before she actually reached the parking area, she turned into the Park and Ride car lot. A respectable distance behind, they followed in her steps. They could see she had found an open space in the front row. This was an odd situation. If she were going to the ASDA, or the Marks and Spencer, she had parked too far away for it to be practical. This could only mean that she meant to take a bus somewhere.

"I'll get off now if we have any chance of following her further. I'll text you." Elsie bolted from the passenger seat in the direction of the bus stop, but Vera had made it to the stop the moment a grey line bus was getting ready to head out on its route. Vera got on board and the doors closed immediately. In a composed rage, Elsie saw as it sped away. It was bus #33, she read from afar on the back side. They could still trail her if they managed to get her to board it further on in the route. She knew exactly where the route stopped, having learned the entire route system of the York transportation authority. She turned to look for Charles, hoping he had noticed she hadn't made it and breathed a sigh of relief as she heard a screech of wheels. He rounded a row of vehicle and moved in quickly to collect her.

"You missed her!" Charles bellowed at his wife.

"Well, I'm not 20 anymore, am I? Making a scene to catch the bus would have her focus on my face as I came on. It wasn't worth the risk."

He harrumphed loudly, but knew she was right. Big scenes only helped if they were awkward and annoying, a pain for somebody else to watch.

"We can catch up," she added.

By the time they made it out of the parking structure and turned onto the road that followed the bus route, it was at a distance. Elsie was determined to board it, but they encountered heavy traffic on the road; the result of exiting vehicles from the Shopping Centre.

"You should do Muslim. That's all you'll have time for." Elsie had reached towards the back seat where they usually had two or three accessories lined up in case they needed them. It was impossible to determine when things could change, so, anticipation was key in their game. Boarding a bus in close proximity to the target required camouflage. Charles kept an eye on the bus, but he could not get close enough to get her to a stop.

The delay, though frustrating, was giving her enough time to attire herself accordingly to the required charade. She had donned the hijab and wrapped it adequately. She looked at herself in the mirror. It looked convincing. To further compliment the outfit, she pulled the light coat she had on the backseat and started pulling it on. She would have to button it up completely. Her jumper had a slight dip in the front, something that a Muslim woman would never wear without a long sleeve, high neck undershirt. That wouldn't do. She needed to look the part and did not want to incite a riot if any other real Muslims saw her. She had the utmost respect for their beliefs and didn't think they would mind if she borrowed into their fashion for just a short period of time.

They were already nearing the York City Centre where Charles might not be able to drive any further. The bus stopped at a distance where Elsie thought she could board if she made a dash for it.

"I am going to run." Without waiting to hear if Charles said anything else, she exited the vehicle and slammed the door shut, sprinting the few meters. The doors had closed, but she rapped on the window and the kind driver stopped to get her.

"Thank you." She bowed her head as she paid and slowly made her way down the semi-congested aisle. There were no empty seats; it was full. There were people standing about, but not enough people that she could not see everybody's faces. She scrutinized every passenger in the most unobtrusive way possible. She reached the end and Vera was not there.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: My next installment may take longer to post, as I will be on the road for the next two weeks. Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think?**


	4. To Shower or Not to Shower

**Thank you for all your nice reviews, favorites and follows. **

* * *

><p>6:17am read the clock in Anna's car. She was used to getting up early, but still hated every single morning when the alarm buzzed. More than one expletive came from her mouth and she cursed life, creation, her existence, responsibility and every other intangible thing she could think of to blame. Still, she was thankful she had something to do, somewhere to go. She hadn't emitted a single curse in the last couple of days. She wouldn't insult life when it had given her this opportunity. Now, if it could only give her the chance of a warm shower.<p>

It had been a surprise when she arrived home on Friday night to find Mary in hysterics. They had no running water in the flat and she had a date she needed to get ready for. The building supervisor had told them there was an electrical issue in their building's grid that served the roof top, where the water heater and pump that distributed the water to the tenants were housed. It would be several days before it would get fixed properly. The result was no water and Mary towel bathing in her father's pub in the water closet. By Sunday they had water, albeit it being a trickle, but the electrical issue in the water heater had not been fixed. The result was cold trickling water.

It had helped that she needed to trade notes with Elsie and Pops and managed to bathe at their flat on both Saturday and Sunday. She wouldn't trudge back there again on Monday and thought of a most brilliant alternative. Bates Airlift had those private shower stalls in the pilot locker room. Surely no one would object if she went there early enough to groom herself? Even if Mr. Bates came in early like he had done last week, she would already be dressed and ready. That meant getting to the office a whole hour earlier than last week.

So now, at 6:18 am, she was driving through the gates again. It was pitch black, the sun had not risen yet, but her car's headlights illuminated a lone vehicle in the carpark. John Bates' car was there. She couldn't believe it. Would he always be there if she wanted to do something in surprise? She shrieked in despair. It was no use to go back home now. She looked down, glancing at her attire – she was wearing an old Hello Kitty pink jumper and sweatpants that read "Princess" across her bum. They were her comfort, stay-at-home-and-never-be-seen-in clothes. No matter her embarrassment, she would have to ask permission to go through with her plan. She dragged her overnight bag that held her grooming essentials from the back seat, and pulled her outfit that hung from the support rungs in her car. She breathed in and walked towards the entrance, expecting full force humiliation at any moment.

The lights were out throughout the floor. That was unexpected. As far as she could make out, there were none turned on anywhere. If Mr. Bates was here, he wasn't working in his office._ Maybe he was taking a nap in the quiet room? Perhaps he and Vera had a fight and he had left?_ She walked slowly and quietly.

"Hello. Anybody here? It's Anna Smith."

There was no response.

She realized that some lights were turned on in the hangar. The entire airfield was visible from the crew room where she now stood. The left hand side of the hangar was empty, where she was used to seeing Maggie. From a distance, she could also see the golf cart. She peered around the corner, towards where they usually parked it and she saw it was missing. Mmmm. He must be out on a flight. Perfect! Luck was finally on her side. She moved towards the showers to set everything up.

* * *

><p>John saw the lights he had left on in the hangar. He knew his way over the terrain well enough, even in the darkness, but he always felt just a little happier when he was able to distinguish his airfield from the other city lights. In a few minutes, he would be home. This night, as all his middle of the night excursions were, was quite fraught with tension. He really wanted a long hot shower before getting to work and reviewing his work list. It might be the only thing to help him relax.<p>

* * *

><p>Anna stepped into one of the two available shower stalls. It was clean, but small, and thankfully had a lock. Not that she would need it now. She was alone.<p>

She wondered how Daisy managed in here. There were no distinct male and female quarters. The two genders were supposed to share and it was definitely designed for men. There were no hooks to hang things, or towel racks to dry your towels. At least there was an electrical outlet close to the sink with a mirror. She would at least be able to blow dry her hair calmly. The lighting was dim, though. When she did her make-up, she would have to sit close to a window with natural light if she did not want to end up looking like Sarah O'Brien.

She unwrapped a towel from her body and draped it over the stall door. She started the shower and was relieved to see there was excellent water pressure, providing a heavy and steady stream. It was hot within a minute. She took at least two minutes to herself, without doing anything while the scalding liquid rained over her body. It was a glorious feeling and she realized that it was one of those things that were taken for granted until they were gone. She poured a generous portion of shampoo and lathered, then rinsed.

All of a sudden, the stall started to tremble lightly. That was odd. She looked at the shower head. Sometimes, her old bathroom fixtures trembled when there was too much demand on water from the pump on the roof, meaning too many people in the building were trying to shower. Maybe the pipes here did something similar. She ignored it and poured another amount of conditioner, smoothing it over her hair. She took her liquid soap and lathered her body completely. The trembling continued then stopped. When she was completely covered from head to toe, she had an epiphany, and to her horror, realized that the trembling was a helicopter announcing its arrival. She'd only been there a week and had heard the hard to ignore sound plenty of times, but here, in the shower, surrounded by tile, and running water, the sound was muffled and quite different than what she had experienced before._ How could she not have figured this out sooner?_ - Specifically, the moment she first heard it. Too many precious minutes had passed. It was probably already on the ground.

Crickey! No doubt it was Mr. Bates returning from wherever he went. She frantically washed the soap and conditioner from her body and hair, running her hand all over to quicken the pace. Just a few minutes earlier, she had shuddered from the humiliation of having him see her ungroomed in sweatpants and a frumpy jumper. Wrapped in a towel was positively worse. _What would he think of her?_

* * *

><p>John parked the golf cart in its place and unlocked the doors, letting himself in through the customer waiting room.<p>

As he made his way through the dark hallways, he unzipped his pantsuit and shrugged it off his shoulders, leaving the top part dangling from his waist. The anticipation of having the hot water running over his body made him walk with haste towards the crew room. He had left everything he needed in a locker, including a fresh change of clothes. He pulled his undershirt over his head, leaving his torso bare.

He stopped for a moment in contemplation. He saw a sliver of light coming from underneath the door of the locker room. _Had he forgotten to turn it off when he arrived hours ago? _It was too early for any of his pilots to be out an about and there were no early departures booked for this morning. He had checked before leaving on his trip. Yet, he could remember turning it off. He always did, conscious that electric economy was key in keeping their costs down. He was always turning off the lights when other forgot to.

He opened the door to find Anna Smith wrapped in a towel and clutching her clothing against her body. She must have heard him arrive and was struggling to get all her things together before she was found in a compromising situation.

"Anna. I …..I….wasn't expecting to see you here." He could barely get out the words. He shivered at the sight he saw. He felt his temperature rise, and it wasn't from the accumulated steam in the room.

Her long wet hair clung to her body, dripping water over the mountains of her small breasts. He couldn't help but follow their path until they disappeared, absorbed quickly by the towel that covered her strategically. Even while she was shrouded and hidden behind such coverings, he could appreciate the curves of her body and see her shapely legs and calves, delicate shoulders and graceful neck. Lord, she was alluring. She was trying to be modest and show some decorum in this peculiar situation, but, she unwittingly failed, because she had not clutched her clothing appropriately. She was unaware that a black lace bra dangled from the pile, quite noticeably. It was too much for him. He felt a stirring and his body was reacting to the sight in front of him. He gasped internally. Bollocks. That was the worst thing that could happen to him. Then he thanked the Lord that the jumpsuit was not made of stretch material and could contain his growing embarrassment. He was bare-chested and ought to put on his shirt, but keeping it bunched together around his midsection was more appropriate.

"I am so, so, sorry Mr. Bates. I only have a trickle of water in my flat since yesterday and it is as cold as ice. I thought that if I came early enough, I would not run into anybody." She was very flustered, and her embarrassment was increasing as he stood with his mouth open, not reacting to what she was saying. She could tell something was happening. He looked flustered. He must be upset. She probably ruined this opportunity. He would want her out of there.

She was trying to think straight, but the sight of his uncovered torso was causing her to stutter. He had broad shoulders and a large hairy chest. He was so masculine. She couldn't stop staring and imagining herself running her hands through it. It was beckoning her, calling her to feel the silk between her fingers. She should turn around, but she was glued to the floor. She couldn't willingly move while he was still there, distracting her, but, she found words once more.

"This, This is clea, clearly abusing our business arrangement. I would understand if ….."

He raised his hand to stop her.

"It's not a problem. Just holler when you're done. I'll be in my office." He stepped back slowly and left her all alone.

* * *

><p>John turned on the lights in his office, hoping the sudden flash of brightness could erase his memory. <em>Will Smith, where are you?<em> He sat down and put his head between his hands for the second time that week. That Will Smith movie prop, the one from that alien flick where he could flash you and make you forget a memory came to his mind. It could be of real help in this situation. Maybe not, he quickly reconsidered after only a few seconds. Aliens were meant to be forgotten and erased. Not a beautiful, sexy blonde sprite that just happened to be wrapped in a towel in his locker room. What a treat to have experienced. _No, he did not want to forget and who was he kidding?_ Anna Smith did something to him. He hardly knew her, this couldn't be love, it was too early for that, but there was an undeniable attraction between them. He was sure she felt it too. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

* * *

><p>Anna had dressed and groomed in record time. So much for her brilliant idea, she thought. She would have to face him soon to remove the awkwardness of their situation. They wouldn't be able to work together if she didn't. She wouldn't hide. She wasn't after all, stealing from him or doing anything illegal or crass. He had showers, she had bathed. Hopefully they could move past this.<p>

When she was back on the administrative side, she was reminded of why she was at Bates Airlift to begin with. She found the anonymous note on her desk, in an envelope. He probably left it while she was finishing getting dressed as he did not take too much care to hide it. It was a quarter after seven and there was nobody else in the office, so she pulled it open.

YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST ALL YOUR PERSONNEL. THERE IS DECEIT ALL AROUND YOU. HEED MY WARNING.

That was strong. _Why did he think this had to do with Vera and her liaisons?_ The letter would have said something referencing an affair, yet he was convinced it had to do with his wife. Mmmm. This was an odd way to word such a thing. She looked at it closely. It was normal office paper, a standard font but in slightly larger size. There was some fading on a couple of the words, no doubt caused by toner inconsistency in the copy machine. The toner should have been replaced by now as Mr. Bates had mentioned it had been at least a year since he received it. Reproducing the faded effect would be difficult. She would have to find a way to print something from every printer in the office to determine who the potential anonymous tipper could be.

* * *

><p>Mr. Bates walked back to his office, leaving the smell of his aftershave cologne in his wake. It hit Anna as he walked past her desk towards his own. A warm feeling made its way into the pit of her stomach. She had never been confronted with such a sensation, such a visceral reaction to a man's scent. She'd had relationships before and was used to the clean smell of a freshly washed man, but she had never reacted this way.<p>

She needed to pull herself together and quickly. The other employees would be arriving soon. If she was to confront him, she had to do it now.

She shook her head from side to side, trying to dispel the feelings that were threatening to derail her progress. She closed her eyes with concentration and stretched, allowing new energy to flood her senses and with as much aplomb and courage as she could muster, she walked the few steps to his office.

"Mr. Bates?" Her voice was sweet and melodious. She stayed at the entrance, not daring to come in fully.

He looked up and smiled. Hearing her say his name, with the elongated "A" was music to his hears. She said it so beautifully, almost like singing…..but she was here to talk about what just happened. That embarrassed him greatly. He hoped she hadn't seen what seeing her had done to him. He would rather not face her, but that wouldn't help accomplish their business together. He needed her to find the truth about Vera.

She couldn't read him. He didn't look upset. There was an odd look about him. _Was that embarrassment?_

"I won't make it a habit, this was a one time situation and I am truly sorry to have imposed myself on your good graces." She reminded herself to smile and act congenial. This was an issue of horrible timing and her taking slight liberties; it was not a reprehensible crime and she wasn't trying to take advantage of him. She hoped he saw it that way.

"No need for concern. You startled me, is all. I am not used to opening that door and encountering a scantily clad beautiful woman. Mostly, just the sorry lot of pilots who work for me."

_Oh Lord, did he just put his foot in his mouth and make this more awkward? …._Scantily clad beautiful woman_….._ How moronic of him. She was likely to think he was a pervert. Apparently, too many years living with the ice queen had stunted his senses. Yet, Anna did not look like she was taking offense. Confused maybe, but not upset.

Anna was trying hard to hide any emotion from bubbling to the surface. _Did he just call her beautiful_? You must play it cool, Anna. Don't mess this up. Yet, his scent was still wafting in the atmosphere and it was threatening to override her thinking.

"Well, I can't say I've ever experienced being walked in on by a handsome bare chested man either."

That was it. There was no way of denying that her statement had not come out as blatant flirting. She had said handsome, bare chested man. It was the epitome of her stupidity. She had gone in there to settle things, not make it worse, and she had. _What could she possibly say now that could fix this, whatever it was that they were doing?_

There was a glimmer in his eyes after she said this. He looked pleased and at the same time, conflicted. Maybe she should just leave. Neither was very good at resolving the awkwardness of the situation.

Luckily, the sound of somebody punching the code to come through the entrance cut their time together short.

"I'll just get back to work, then." She smiled weakly and turned to leave.

Phyllis Baxter said polite and hurried hellos as she came through the front and passed behind her. Phyllis didn't even look her in the eye. She lowered her gaze as she walked past.

"Good morning." Both Anna and John responded to her in unison.

Anna felt uncomfortable and wondered if the quiet lady might have picked up anything from her body language. She couldn't imagine that Phyllis would have heard anything. That would be impossible. Mr. Bates seemed uncomfortable too and tried to avert any suspicion.

"Thank you Anna for your report…. Excellent first week."

"You're welcome Mr. Bates."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe they have assigned you to me already." Sarah was none too pleased when Anna pulled up her chair, ready to start learning.<p>

Anna had invoked all the patience she could gather. All last week while she was with Gwen, she had heard this Ms. O'Brien complain about everything. Nothing could be done without everybody else hearing about it.

"Well, it was Mr. Bates' schedule. I am sure he had his reasons when he organized it this way. I am all yours."

"How comforting." Sarah rolled her eyes as she opened up an excel spreadsheet.

"I'll show you how I do it, so pay attention as I will only explain it once."

"You do all of the bookings and organize the pilot rotas?" Anna asked sweetly

"You make it sound so easy. It takes more than that." There was a slight tone of offense in her response.

After several agonizing hours, Anna realized that Sarah's methods were completely ancient and unreliable. Her entire scheduling system was laid out on an excel workbook with a tab per day, a workbook per month. Each tab had all six choppers with columns underneath for every single pilot that was certified to fly it. Not every pilot could fly every helicopter. If there was a booking, Sarah greyed out the pilots name and added the time of the flight and the route details. She then filled out an information sheet for the pilot, called a "trip sheet". She had a tray with each pilots name and she would slip it into their slot. If there was any change in the schedule, or a cancellation, a similar sheet was filled out and added to their tray again.

Anna was no expert, had not even worked in anything requiring scheduling besides her university course loads, but this seemed wasteful. There had to be some sort of automation where a pilot could log in and see their schedule and not have to go through a handful of paper slips to make sense of it. Any changes could auto generate email notifications. Everybody had smart mobiles these days. If they could have information at their fingertips and at the moment, they could probably plan their days better.

As an amenity, they did provide lunch boxes with a sandwich, crisps and a piece of fruit, complemented by cold beverages. Many of their clients who were on the go rarely stopped for lunch and this kept some of their customer happy. Sarah would estimate what they would need in a week and Patmore's Executive Catering service would deliver early on Monday mornings. Anna had seen the refrigeration units in the hangar so it made sense. If supplies were depleted from unexpected bookings, the owner supplied them immediately. Sarah added the customer preferences onto the trip sheet after pulling a card from her rolodex.

_A rolodex? Who uses those anymore? Surely they could have an online customer database that when you made the booking and pulled their name from the list, it would auto-populate everything else?_

Anna asked how Sarah kept track of a pilot's flight hours for the day or for the week to make sure she didn't overschedule them. Anna assumed they would adhere to a similar amount of hours worked like the office staff did, even if their hours required early morning departures, late arrivals and the occasional weekend trip. Maybe even more stringent, Anna thought. She had heard reports of the risk of pilot fatigue from commercial airlines if a pilot worked too many hours without rest and wondered if it was similar with helicopter pilots. They may not fly as far away as the other pilots, but fatigue could happen to everybody. Sarah was not forthright with her answer and left Anna with many questions, the result, Anna mused, at Sarah's attempt at job security. She wouldn't show Anna all of her tasks lest she be replaced.

Anna was still more shocked when she learned that Sarah's complex spreadsheets were only backed up once a month onto CD's. If a server ever crashed, they could not protect the data that was stored. They wouldn't know what they had booked. That was a huge risk. The document was also on a shared drive, which meant everybody in the office could have access to it. When she was sick or on holiday, Gwen and Phyllis shared the load to cover for her, so more than one person had access, but there was no audit trail. You couldn't know what was booked by whom or who had touched a file. There was no accountability at all. She had to urge Mr. Bates to do something. His business was at risk.

* * *

><p>This was a frosty morning that required lots of hot tea. Elsie poured the scalding water from the metallic thermos bottle into the disposable cups that were placed in the car's beverage holder. She didn't understand the craze about buying from the big chains – the Starbucks and Costa outlets that seemed to be all over the place. A whole box of tea at Sainsbury's was less than 2 quid and it cost as much for only a cup at any one of those fancy locations. No, she was happy doing it the old fashioned way; the way it was done before any of those modern locations had proliferated like the plague.<p>

She opened the glove box to find the tea bags.

"Do you want Blackcurrant with Dragon fruit, or Citrus Explosion?" She held up and waved the colorful boxes for Charles to look at.

He sighed and pouted.

"Elsie, I want tea. Good old-fashioned tea, not fruit salad converted into tea. Have you no Earl Grey or Darjeeling anywhere in there?" He pointed at the accumulation of dry goods stored within the minimal space afforded in the glove box. They kept a lot of provisions in there, never knowing what a day's surveillance would bring.

"Oh bother…. You never want to try anything different." She fished out a box of his favorite morning blend and reluctantly dropped a packet into his cup. She did the same to hers, albeit trying the Blackcurrant option, and added a packet of sugar to each as well. She was slightly annoyed.

He sensed her frustration. "I get enough excitement from our profession, thank you very much…. my tea, and my woman, I like exactly the same." He winked at her, diffusing her irritation.

"Oh, you big lump." His words generated the intended effect and they shared a sweet peck that was interrupted by the pinging noise of Vera's GPS signal.

"She's on the move," observed Elsie as she held up the small screen for Charles to look at.

"She doesn't seem to be going to work." The small icon representing her vehicle had her coming towards the center of York, not going towards Elvington.

"I guess we shall need to intercept her." Charles started the car and drove towards the point they thought they would meet up with her vehicle. They had anticipated a break in her routine and had driven to a strategic location where they could drive easily if should she come towards York.

It had been a surprise last week when she had eluded them. They were absolutely sure that she was unaware of their existence and that her actions were spurred by deceit. Her need to take a very impractical route, to get to wherever she was going by using public transportation, did indicate that there was something she was trying to hide. If one has the luxury of owning a vehicle, reason would dictate that she would not have gone to extreme of parking so far from where she was headed. Mr. Bates must be right. There was substance to his accusation.

When they had arrived back home, they were able to cross reference the zone where they thought she may have descended, against the addresses of the Bates Airlift male employees. Anthony Strallan, Evelyn Napier and Tom Branson lived in the vicinity, but they were not convinced she had descended with a specific target in mind. Most likely, she had hailed a cab when they could not have seen her.

Now that they knew that she was hiding something and that catching her would require them to be the smarter party, they were ready. Most of their targets tended to be clueless and their objective of catching them in their deception was over rather quickly. They enjoyed the more complex cases and Charles often told Elsie that he likened it to a hunt and their target was their prey. This wasn't about strength and agility. This was about cunning and outmaneuvering. Charles rarely lost and Vera Bates would not win.

"Here she comes, love." Elsie could see the target approaching them.

When Charles saw her, he merged onto the street and soon enough, she passed him, speeding ahead. After a few kilometers, she put on the signal lights and turned into a commercial street lined with all sort of shops. They stayed farther behind and saw that she had been lucky enough to find a parking spot on this street. Elsie took a quick sip of her now tepid tea, pulled her hair into a low bunch and donned a pair of large rimmed sunglasses, shielding much of her upper face. As Vera positioned the car correctly, she descended the vehicle. Charles drove on, looking for a place to hide while Elsie texted him any instructions.

Elsie found herself staring at a small housewares display in a shop window. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Vera leave the vehicle and walk down the street. Elsie followed a short distance behind her, stopping frequently to look into the windows of the other establishments. Vera finally ducked into a store. Elsie sauntered slowly. The storefront read, "Maisie's Beauty Salon." Elsie took her mobile and pretended that she was trying to get a better signal, justifying her presence right outside the window. She could see Vera inside and before too long, she was ushered to a room in the back.

This could be a trick. She had eluded them once before. There were only two more businesses and she turned the corner, seeing to the backside of the establishments. There was a narrow snickelway and she came upon the door which would be the rear exit of "Maisie's Beauty Salon". There was a window where she would be able to look in, but, it was too high up. She texted Charles to explain her location and within a few minutes, he encountered her by foot.

All of a sudden, they heard a female's voice moaning, followed by a loud yelp.

"What do you need?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice. They might have stumbled into an opportunity. He didn't see anybody in the narrow lane they were on, but continued whispering, lest they be heard as well. If they could hear the moaning, then those on the inside could hear them too.

She pointed towards the window. "I need to look in there."

He looked around and there was no debris he could pile together to support her. He would have to hoist her up there himself. They had a rule while working and following on a lead. They would not question the other's need as long as it wasn't outrageous. When they were in work mode, they supported each other 100%.

"Do you want my back, or hands?"

She thought for a moment. They weren't getting any younger and her weight would do him harm either way, so, the fastest would be his hands. She made sure she had everything she needed for her camera, adapting the zoom lens, preparing it for immediate use.

They heard another loud moan. _Was it possible that she was meeting her lover clandestinely in this location? _Elsie hoped so. She did worry about Anna working in that place. The sooner they could catch Vera, the better it would be for everybody.

"Your hands will be quicker."

He laced the fingers of both hands together, and then leaned against the wall for support. He spread his legs to balance himself better, then stooped a few inches to make this "virtual step" easier for her.

She took hold of his shoulder and positioned her foot in his hands. She was boosted into the air at just enough height that she could peer into the room through the small window. He was having a hard time keeping her steady and she found herself swaying and holding onto the window sill for stability. She could also hear Charles moaning below, and trying to suppress the noise.

They heard another moan and Elsie shuddered with what she had just seen. It had been enough and she tapped his shoulder as a signal to let her down.

He was red faced from the strain.

"We can go. She's in there getting a Brazilian."

"What?...Quick! It doesn't matter where he's from. Take her picture with him. That's all we need." He was whispering loudly.

She sighed. He clearly did not understand.

With a hint of shame in her voice, she whispered back. "She's getting her VA-JAY-JAY waxed, Charles. It's not a man."

"I don't understand. Waxing her VA-JAY-JAY? What is that?"

Elsie was not a prude, but she was a bit old fashioned. Speaking about the female genitalia to her husband out in the open was a bit of a stretch for her…. and knowing him, he would be quite flustered when he realized what that was. She would have to spell it out in clearer terms.

She took his hand and with a motherly and firm tone, she explained. "She is getting her vagina waxed, love. That involves removing most of her pubic hair by having it covered in hot wax, applying a strip of paper or cloth, then ripping it quickly from her body. I've heard it can be quite painful. "

His eyes popped open wider with disbelief, then shock.

"Oh, God," was all he said.

* * *

><p>"John, can I have a moment?" He heard the distinct suave voice of his Sales Manager walking through the door.<p>

"Of course. What's on your mind?" John knew what this was about and sighed internally. He did not want to upset Richard. He was a good man, but he was asking too much.

"Have you had the opportunity to look at the partnership proposal that I put together?" He was very eager to get a response.

"I have, but I'm just not sure….. " John reflected concern. He wanted to be very tactful. "It's very bold. You're asking for a 50% stake in the company."

Richard smirked with a bit of cynicism.

"Come now John. You know we can negotiate and you know I am worth it. I have the capital to invest and it is through my work that you have all the accounts that you do. In the last five years since I have been here, you've grown from two to six aircraft and added personnel to meet the demand you've had. That didn't all happen by itself."

Richard had him there. He was very gifted in Sales. Bates Airlift did owe him a lot.

Richard continued.

"If I land the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account, it will be worth millions and when I do, you will have to consider this partnership. I won't continue to work here if you do not value my contribution."

There was a raised tone of indignation in his voice. John wanted to diffuse the tension.

"Richard, I cannot deny that your contribution hasn't helped us grow over the last five years. It has. I also pay you a very generous commission for each contract, so this contribution has not gone unnoticed." He paused to emphasize a point. "I am willing to entertain a different percentage, but I have to talk to Vera. She has to have a say in this as well."

Richard smiled. It was a small gain.

"I trust you will know how to convince your wife."

Anna took a couple of calls while Sarah listened in and filled out several "trip sheets" that day. For all of Sarah's antagonism, the day seemed to be going smoothly. So much so, that the sour woman had left her alone for a whole hour to fend for herself. Anna quite enjoyed the challenge and spoke to two more accounts that wanted modifications on their schedules. After each call she took, she decided to email herself the tab she had changed from each workbook that was touched so that she could track what changes she had made. She also enabled the "Track Changes" function in excel. Gwen had made it absolutely clear to her that when working with Sarah, you could never be careful enough. Save every email from her; print every change you make. Basically – CYA – Cover Your Arse. As crass as that sounded, Anna decided she wouldn't question Gwen's good judgment. She had lived with it for longer and new better than she did. That and her own sixth sense told her not to trust the woman at all.

* * *

><p>Thomas and Sarah leaned against the golf cart taking a smoke in the shade.<p>

"Is she any good?" Thomas asked before puffing on the cigarette.

"If by good, you mean - overzealous-job-stealing-bitch, then, the answer is yes."

Thomas rolled his eyes with surprise.

"Blimey. That was harsh. What makes you think she is out to steal your job? Has she said anything?"

"She doesn't have to. Anybody who interns in a placement program is out to find a job. Why should this one be any different?" Sarah was emphasizing her words as the emotion started to catch up with her. "There she is asking all of these questions, trying to learn, trying to be perfect…. She even asked me if I had considered automating some of my processes. Who does she think she is? All of a sudden she is an expert?"

"That does seem a little presumptuous for somebody that is so new." Thomas looked upset. "What will you do?"

"Well, she can forget about my job. I won't let her get the better of me, that's for sure. I'll show her where her place is…."

"What do you mean?"

"I know how to get her in trouble. Watch and learn." Sarah put out her cigarette and went back inside.

* * *

><p>"Toneeeeee….."<p>

Anna cringed when she heard Vera yelping for Anthony Strallan from her desk. He wasn't that far away to not hear her, but he was removed enough for it to be rude for her to call out like that. She should have walked to his office herself or dialed his extension. It was disturbing the entire office. She had only gotten to work half an hour ago, even when it was almost mid-day. Anna hoped Pops and Elsie had made progress tracking her movements. The sooner she could help Mr. Bates, the better it would be for everybody in this office

"Toneeeeeee…"

When she called a second time, Anna saw a very befuddled man walk across the hall to where she was.

"Yes, Vera."

He disappeared into the office.

"Angieeeeeeeee….."

Anna closed her eyes. She should have known she would be next. The damn woman couldn't remember her name either. She repeated to herself that getting that woman whatever beverage she wanted allowed her more insight into her conversations. That calmed her enough. She stood and walked towards the office, anticipating the request.

"Yes, Mrs. Bates?"

"Tea with one sugar… and quick, I'm suddenly very cold." Anna was about to leave. "Wait. Tony, do you want something?'

He turned towards Anna with a kind and perturbed look. "No, I am fine. I can get my own drink."

She could not have been gone more than five minutes. She returned and observed that Anthony looked very uncomfortable.

"Will you do that for me, pleeeeeeease…..?" She drew out the syllables of the last word, elongating the question. She sounded whiny. From the corner of her eye, while she was setting down the mug, she noticed Mrs. Bates feet wrap around his legs, playing some sort of very improper "footsies" with him. He didn't pull his feet away, although he didn't have much room if he would have tried.

Before Anna left, she could hear him say. "I'll do my best."

She returned to her desk and sat down, wondering what to think of that. Not a moment later, Mr. Bates himself walked out of his office towards hers. Anthony encountered him outside and his expression made him look very guilty. He couldn't look him in the eye and left. That was odd. Mmmm. _Anthony Strallan, the lover? _Not being able to face Mr. Bates was a definite clue. She would have to check him out.

Before she could process any further, she heard Vera raise her voice again. Mr. Bates was closing the door behind him as he stepped into the office, but she managed to hear her say, "So, slipping out in the middle of the night Batesy? What's her name?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: My intention was to post a chapter a week, but RL is not allowing me to respect my allotted writing time. IT may be a while before I can get back to a weekly update. **

**Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think..**


	5. O'Brien's Fury

"There is no other woman and you know it."

He closed the door quietly behind him, hoping Vera's harsh statement had gone unheard by the others in the office. Thoughts of Anna filtered through his mind. She was sitting so close to them, she might have been able to listen. He didn't want her to have any reasons to doubt him. He shook Anna from his conscience and remembered a more practical reason. Regardless of the situation between him and his wife, the rest of the team did not have to be made aware of their fraught conversations. He was sure Gwen knew more than she let on to, but he had his doubt about the others. As he moved towards the empty chair in her office, he felt it necessary to justify his absence and added another comment, in a low tone, hoping to minimize the situation and deflect any further comments from Vera.

"I needed to think and I do that best when I am in the air." He didn't have to say anything, especially when Vera never told him where she was going or what she was doing, yet her insinuation of another woman left him feeling nervous. He didn't want her to know what he was really up to.

He sat down, barely on the edge of the seat, not comfortable at all with the conversation they were having.

"You want me to believe that you left in the middle of the night, after your mobile rang, so you could think?" Vera smirked sarcastically, not believing a word he said. She crossed her arms across her chest and John felt her defiant nature seeping through. She started to cackle and he was taken aback by her reaction.

She was mocking him openly. She was never any good at being subtle. "….and what does my flyer husband have to think about that is so important that a call would get him out of bed?" She leaned back against the chair, expecting an answer.

"That was not a call Vera; it was my mobile's alarm. I changed the sound and set it up to wake early." That was not the truth. It had been a call, but he hoped he sounded confident enough to deflect any suspicion. They slept in different bedrooms and the sound of the mobile's noise could easily be mistaken. "….and…. to answer your question, I had to think about the situation with Richard."

"What situation?" She furrowed her brow, seemingly unaware of anything that was going one with their Sales Manager.

"He's come to me at least three times. He wants an ownership share of the company."

"Ownership? That's a bit forward…. What makes him think we would ever give him a share?"

Before he could answer her question, he breathed deeply, aware that her sudden curiosity regarding Richard had finally veered her from questioning him regarding his midnight disappearance.

"He's committed to Bates Airlift and has landed most of the large accounts we have now. The last two expansions, we owe to him and his sales abilities. Our revenue would not be what it is today without him, so, we have to consider his request."

She didn't say anything else, but looked like she was going over his words in her head. Noting her silence on the matter, and believing she was considering the proposal, he continued with a further explanation.

"He's asking for a 50% partnership claim, which I believe is meant to gobsmack us, but, we could probably reduce that to 15 or 20. I have calculated some initial numbers based on 20% and there are some pros and cons. Ultimately, this will cost us, but we have to consider it if we want to see any future growth. Not considering him could end up hurting us more in the long run. "

He leaned back in the chair, comfortable that Vera hadn't made any negative comments yet. He was awaiting her questions.

Finally, she moved forward in her chair, suggesting she was ready to respond. "You can give him any percent of your share you consider necessary Batesy. I am not letting go of my 50%."

John was stunned with her response. For all of their personal problems, she always let him lead in their business decisions and generally agreed with anything that he brought forth. She mainly objected to anything that had to do with decorating and the distribution of office space within the Bates Airlift compound; never anything of real importance. Her resistance, then, was startling for John. It took him a minute to register her response and formulate a rebuttal that was not laced with any feeling.

"Vera, if we don't consider him for a partnership percentage, he will go somewhere else. He knows our business inside and out and replacing him will be difficult. You must also consider that if he went to work for our competitors, we would be in financial difficulties if he poached our accounts. We need to consider this."

He hoped he had swayed her opinion.

"What you are saying makes perfect sense, but, I don't intend to forfeit any percentage of my share." She had no emotion in her voice as she said the words that John was not expecting to hear. He tried again.

"Listen to reason Vera. What I propose is we give him a 20% stake. I forfeit 10% as you do. Together, we are still the majority owners, but we make him happy and we stop paying commission on each contract. He would be even more motivated to make this a success. He is not a bad fellow."

She leaned forward and placed the palms of her hand on the table, standing up in the process.

"I have a different proposal. You give him the 20%, you keep 30% and I become the majority owner with 50%. Now that is a plan I can really get behind."

John Sighed. "You are not going to agree, are you?"

"No, I am not."

John couldn't forget Vera's sarcastic nature during their entire conversation. It had been yesterday and he hadn't figured out a way to tell Richard that he could not offer him a partnership. If Vera did not want to offer a part of her share, there was no way that John was going to forfeit any of his. He would never be left in a position where Vera had more ownership than he did.

Maybe he could wait a few weeks and see what happened to the new account Richard was going to bring in. He would worry about it then.

* * *

><p>"Good Morning Joe." Anna adjusted the bud on her Bluetooth ear piece as she looked into the rear view mirror. Time was precious these days. Now that she was working for two companies, she wasn't as free as she used to be. She was on her way to the Bates Airlift compound. Traffic was light, allowing for a conversation.<p>

"Hello doll." She cringed and rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see her.

"Joe, we talked about this. Please call me Anna." He was a nice fellow, if a bit obsessive and dense. He couldn't take the hint. He was continuously sweet talking her, thinking his chances with her would improve by his choice of words, but his attempts always came out sounding creepy. They had the opposite effect, repelling her further.

"So, Anna. What can I do for you today?" He laughed and snorted in the process, thinking himself funny.

"I am going to need full financials on several people, including credit card statements and mobile records. I've narrowed down my top five suspects for us to start with."

"Go ahead, love."

Anna shuddered again. If he wasn't so good at what he did, she would have asked Pops and Elsie to forego of his services. His creepy nature made him an excellent stalker of sorts and he could find just about anything that was needed in their cases.

Her thoughts shifted again to her list.

"First of all, Vera Bates. Then – give me Anthony Strallan, Richard Carlisle, Tom Branson, Evelyn Napier and Jack Ross."

* * *

><p>Anna felt drained and it was only Wednesday. Sarah O'Brien really was a hard pill to swallow. Since the first day she had worked by the older lady's side, Sarah was always in an abominable mood. Anna sensed she somehow felt threatened by her and there was nothing she could say to appease the woman or get on her good side. She had every reason to worry, though. She was not very efficient and spoke to the clients very unprofessionally. If anybody bothered to look into her performance, she would be at risk. Anna wouldn't be the one to say anything, she wasn't a workplace consultant and didn't want anybody to lose their job because of her, but she knew so many people that could do the job better. The time with Sarah also helped Anna realize that she spent less time working than she did popping continuously into Vera's office. Her accumulated break time in a day was less than appropriate. That would help answer her internal question. "<em>Why has she not been sacked<em>?" Vera was some sort of protector or insurance policy that could guard against that. It all made sense to her now. Anna wondered if their association worked both ways. If Vera had a lover, would Sarah know about it?

The phone rang and Anna was pleased for the distraction. Sarah answered it, as she always did, leaving Anna alone for a moment. Sarah had been droning on about how to correctly fill out one of the trip sheets. She made it a point to chastise her, explaining that her penmanship was not good enough for her to work here and that she needed to do a better job of it if she didn't want to be dismissed. Anna stared at the offending document, while she listened to Sarah talk to one of the customers. Mmmm. She turned it around and brought it close, thinking that perhaps at a different angle, her writing was not what it should be. After scrutinizing it for a few seconds, she gave up. She could find nothing wrong with it. There were big block letters and the ink flowing from her pen was steady. It was completely legible. She wasn't being bias and could take constructive feedback when necessary. She wasn't too proud to accept if she needed to make corrections, but Sarah was finding fault with everything she did, whether there was substance to it or not. She'd have to get a second opinion from Gwen or somebody else to make sure she wasn't going crazy.

The raised tone in Sarah's voice made her stop and pay attention. There seemed to be an issue.

"I'm sorry about that. I can't find a booking for Mr. Wiggleton of Perkins Manufacturing for this Friday." She sighed loudly. "This Monday, you say? Around noon?"

Sarah turned to look at her, her eyes filled with hatred. Anna remembered taking the booking when Sarah went out for a smoke with Thomas. It had been a simple one way York-Manchester Airport Executive trip that she had assigned to Daisy. They had asked specifically for her and if she was not available, Alfred. The customer would come here. The staff assistant for Perkins was very kind and patient with her and almost appreciative that she hadn't needed to speak to Sarah.

"It wasn't I that did the booking? Well, that makes sense. It must have been the intern I have working with me." She paused, listening intently. "Well, you can't imagine how sorry I am."

Sarah continued to speak to the customer, while the color in her face changed to red.

"Yes, Yes. I still have space. Let me take the details from you and book it right away. I am very sorry this happened and will make sure that this does not happen again."

Anna braced herself for the onslaught that would take place in a minute. She wasn't sure she had made a mistake. She took the booking, made a copy and emailed it to herself. She had photocopied the trip sheets for those bookings when Sarah wasn't looking. There must be an explanation. She would have to look at her files and the tracking feature in the computer. But before that, she would get an earful. There was no way around it.

After a minute or two, when Sarah had added the booking in excel, she heard the handset of the phone slam into its place. She cringed.

"YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL. Mr. Wiggleton is one of our most important clients and you took a call and it is not there." For a minute, Anna remembered the mistake Sarah had done the week before, not reserving Daisy for a trip this same customer had requested. Gwen had saved the day with her quick thinking. It was a bit surreal to be on the scolding end for something Sarah herself had done and nobody had been harsh with her. She felt the adrenaline in her body rushing, urging her to react. It took all her self-control to stop herself from saying something she might regret. _Not here, not now_, she repeated to herself.

"Did you book it some other day?" Sarah perused the tabs of her inefficient scheduling system to see if she could find something else for Perkins Manufacturing.

"No Sarah. I remember booking it for exactly the same date and time you just put it into the system for." Her jaw was set firmly. She wouldn't show her any fear or inferiority. It was also grating to be spoken to in such a manner. Neither her parents, nor Pops or Elsie had ever spoken to her that way.

Anna reached for the all the trip sheets in the pilot's trays. She had filled it out and Sarah had approved it when she had come back from her break and Anna had relayed what she had managed in her absence. She was going through them to find the one belonging to this booking as Sarah started to berate her.

"Of course you would say that. But you can't find it now, can you?" Sarah's tone was raised to the point that it came across as shouting. Gwen turned from her desk. Thomas and Phyllis peeked from around the corner of the Accounting office. They were thankfully too far from the Pilot's room for any of them to overhear, but, Vera had moved to stand in the doorway of her office. Now that Sarah was sure that she had an audience, she continued. "I don't know why you are here to begin with if you can't do simple tasks. Why don't you just admit you can't handle this job and ask to be moved along somewhere else?" Anna turned to look at the others, truly mortified at the scene Sarah was causing. She was sure that she could put Sarah in her place as soon as the ranting was over. Gwen looked positively shocked. Vera was smirking at that comment, enjoying the show a little too much. She could swear she saw Thomas smile, before they exchanged glances and he hid his amusement for neutrality. Phyllis was stone-faced the entire time. As a Senior Manager and co-owner, Vera should have said something, but she didn't, so, Anna addressed Sarah.

"I'll not admit to any such thing Sarah. I will admit to a mistake if one has been made, but I am sure this is all a misunderstanding….. and, if you calm down, we can get to the bottom of it." She was very poised in her response.

"I'll be the one to say whether this is a misunderstanding or your bloody incompetence." Sarah was intent on humiliating Anna as publicly as possible. Before Anna could even respond, the booming sound of reason was heard from behind them.

"You'll do no such thing Sarah. If an error has been made, it will be remedied and the experience learned from. You have made mistakes before and those words have never been levied against you from me, or any other employee in this firm. You have no right to say them now to Anna or anybody else that comes in through the Bates Airlift doors as an employee or intern. Do you understand me?"

He looked calm, but Anna could tell there was anger in his eyes. Mr. Bates had also overheard the rant. God Bless him. Standing there firmly, with all the assurance of the voice of reason and ultimate authority, he was the incarnation of a knight in shining armor to her. He had come to save the damsel in distress. Part of her was thrilled with his presence, and absolutely grateful that the barking had been stopped, but another part of her was infinitely ashamed that she could not deal with the situation on her own before it escalated. It had gotten out of hand very quickly and she had not been able to adequately respond. _Would he think her weak, lacking in character?_

At his declaration, Sarah had turned around to see him. She could barely respond, surprised at his reaction. In all of her rant, it had never dawned on her that if the others could listen and witness the scene, so could he. She still looked furious, wanting to prove her point.

"Yes, Mr. Bates" she reluctantly answered when she saw that there would be no way to contradict his steely gaze.

"Oh John, if the girl is incompetent, there is no sense in defending her." Vera had obviously taken sides when she pressed Sarah's issue further.

Mr. Bates was none too pleased with Vera's comment. He turned to give her a look of disapproval. She had said that in front of the other employees and he did not care for her favoritism towards Sarah. This was not about taking sides. Anna was not impressed with Vera's comment either, but thought better than to react. As part owner, Vera owed it to the entire team to be neutral until all sides were heard. A good manager would have done that.

"Everybody except Anna and Sarah, please get back to work. We don't need an audience." Phyllis had left the moment Mr. Bates appeared, rendering Thomas as the one who had to leave. He didn't look too happy. He wouldn't be able to follow the conversation from his workstation. Gwen had never left her desk. She just turned back to what she was doing, while still tilting her ear in the direction of the confrontation. Vera just stood about, with no intention of leaving, so, Mr. Bates continued. "What is the problem?" His hands flailed authoritatively and he looked straight at Anna, but, Sarah was intent on answering.

"She's botched…."

Mr. Bates raised his hand and outstretched his palm. He didn't have to say anything else. His sole movement and intense eyes stopped her. Sarah looked unnerved by his actions.

"Sarah, we know your point of view on the matter. I think it is time to let Anna defend herself or accept the error on her part." He lowered his arm and crossed it with the other across his chest. "Anna, what do you have to say on the matter?" She could tell his body relaxed and his eyes, while still businesslike, lowered in intensity.

"Thank you Mr. Bates. We just received a call from Perkins Manufacturing. A booking I made is missing from the system. Sarah had to rebook it and provide Mr. Wiggleton's staff assistant assurances that no further errors would be made on the account."

Mr. Bates nodded in understanding.

"She says she booked it, but there was no proof of it in the system and no trip sheet to back her up." Sarah blurted her words, still trying to gain the upper hand.

"Excuse me a moment." Anna sprinted towards her desk, only a few steps away, and opened her file cabinet. Wanting to stop the nonsense, she pulled open a cream colored file folder that held some sheets of paper. At the same time, she wiggled the mouse to deactivate the screen saver. She had the proof if she could access her incoming email from Monday.

Everybody took a few steps towards her desk.

"Here it is." Anna turned in the same spot and held out the sheet for Mr. Bates to take possession of.

He received the photocopied document and brought it to his eye level to review.

"What is that?" Sarah came close to Mr. Bates so that she could read the document in his hands. Vera did as well on his other side.

"It is the trip sheet that I filled out, after I showed Sarah what I had booked. She signed it, after reviewing all the information and she told me that I had done well." Anna didn't lie there. She thought something was up when Sarah told her she had done a good job. "I was so chuffed that I did it right, that I made a photocopy to make sure any future bookings were done in the same manner." That was a lie. Heeding Gwen's warning, she had made copies to cover herself if a situation such as this ever took place.

Mr. Bates smiled, then, tried to hide it, wanting to appear neutral. Anna sensed, though, that he was relieved that the fault had not lain in her hands. Sarah's eyes were opened wide and she seemed to be formulating something to say. Whatever had happened with the booking, Sarah had clearly not anticipated Anna's cunning. Vera looked annoyed.

Before any of them could react further, Anna continued talking.

"In addition, every booking I made, I copied the tab where it was made and I emailed it to myself from Sarah's computer. I have four total documents for every call I took by myself in the last two days." She double clicked the appropriate icon on her desk to open the attachment. "This ought to be the correct one." When she could confirm it was - Sarah, Vera and Mr. Bates all leaned in to look at the excel document showing everything booked for this Friday, as it had appeared on Monday when booked. All the information was there.

From where Anna stood, she could see Gwen behind them. The redhead fist pumped into the air, supporting Anna. She was lip-synching something that looked like "OH MY GOD. YOU ARE AWESOME!" Anna averted her eyes, or she would be caught up in rejoicing with Gwen. She wasn't off the hook yet.

"Well, Anna. This clears any doubt as to if you ever booked the trip to begin with." With the evidence clearly visible, he affirmed it. "It was booked."

"She must have erased it when I was not looking. It might have been in the system on Monday, but it was not there today." Sarah would not let it go.

"I cannot explain that. Either of us could have made the mistake. If it was I that erased it, I am sorry."

Anna did not want to take things further and incriminate Sarah. She did not need an enemy in the office and laying the blame on her would only alienate Vera. She needed to continue in this position and taking half a hit would buy her an advantage. Her words let them all see that she was willing to take the blame for an "unknown occurrence." In this occasion, though, she had proved her competence.

Anna was not guilty of anything and knew that she could track exactly when the booking was erased. It had to have been Sarah who made the mistake, as the woman never let her touch the computer in her presence. Anna doubted for a second Sarah's motivations. _Was it a mistake or done on purpose? Would she have deliberately disappeared the trip sheet too? _If she had done it on purpose and had gone to those lengths to "protect" her position, she was in dire need of mental help.

Mr. Bates looked satisfied.

"Let's pay more attention next time, please." Relieved it was over, he added, "I think we should all get to work."

* * *

><p>Anna whispered "thank you" to Gwen when she announced that Mr. Bates was calling everybody for an impromptu meeting immediately. It had been an hour since her ordeal and any break from Sarah's superiority prattle was welcoming. Since proving her competency, the woman had been unbearable. Mr. Bates' meetings were always interesting too. There wasn't a session where she didn't take any new knowledge away.<p>

She filed in and took a seat, as the others did, not knowing what the meeting was about. The others were chatting idly, speculating as to the topic of the day. Some of them glanced her way, no doubt having heard about Sarah's tirade against her. She sat with her head held high. Gwen took a seat next to her and Phyllis on her other side. There were lots of other seats still open and it was natural for Phyllis to shy away, thus, it felt like the quiet lady's attempt at solidarity. Whatever it was, Anna appreciated the gesture all the same. Anna wanted to say something, but, Phyllis smiled and looked down, signaling she did not want to chat. Anna hadn't spent any time with her and still couldn't assess her motivations. She was an odd creature, that one. Anna continued to survey the rest of the room and Vera was noticeably missing. She seemed to do as she wished, not event trying to pretend she cared about the business. She'd come out at any hint of gossip or controversy, but, she hadn't attended any of the team's staff meetings yet. Anna wondered why she would fight to keep her portion of Bates Airlift if she wasn't committed to its management.

The team didn't have to wait to find out much longer about the reason for the meeting, as Mr. Bates walked in rather quickly, followed by a gentleman.

"Team, this is Frank Edmunds from the Make a Wish Foundation." They both took a seat at the head of the table and the man smiled and said a quick hello before Mr. Bates continued. "I've called you in here for a quick chat regarding Haley Winters."

"Some of you will recall that last year, our company assisted with the wish of Ronnie Preston." Anna had no clue what he was talking about, having only recently joined the firm. Mr. Bates must have seen her confusion, as well as Jimmy, who had also been there less than a year, because he felt compelled to explain.

"For those that are not aware, last year, 16 year old Leukemia patient Ronnie wanted to meet the Manchester United team and attend a game at the Old Trafford in company of Sir Alex. We had the honor of flying both of them in, right before a game started. We deposited them on the green, in the middle of the field, to the roar of the fans that had been advised of what would happen."

Anna's heart swelled with love at the thought. How wonderful that Bates Airlift did that.

Mr. Edmund's chimed in. "Ronnie had an amazing day. After the game, which ManU won, some of the opposing team's players who had also been previously advised of what would happen that day, stayed behind so that he could participate in an exhibition game. Ronnie got to wear a ManU kit with his name and a number which the team had made for him and they assigned him an empty locker. Sir Alex barked directions at him and he was able to score a goal into the opposing team's net. For this one day, he was one of the team and when he died, six weeks later, he was wearing the kit, very happy to have had that experience. The team also went to his funeral, which the family appreciated tremendously."

Anna held back tears. In the joy of the story that was being told, she had forgotten that some of these children sometimes did not make it. That was point of hosting their last wish - to give them one moment of supreme joy for everything they had endured.

Mr. Bates continued. "It is rare for a child's wish to involve the use of a helicopter, but Mr. Edmunds has come to me with another potential case and I think, that with a little creativity and planning, we can make seven year old Haley Winters' wish come true."

A very animated Daisy was the first to enquire. "Oooh, what is it? Tell us her wish!"

"Haley would like to fly on a dragon and rescue a princess from a castle and we will make it happen next week."

* * *

><p>Elsie sat alone at the bust stop, waiting on Vera to make her arrival. It had been a few days since she had taken the questionable route and the bus. They had been tracking her for a little over a week and they were yet to make any definite progress. Out of the last seven days, they had followed her to the supermarket, to her waxing appointment, to shopping on York's High street where she had purchased some new shoes and several articles of clothing. She had taken tea with a friend that Anna had later confirmed was Sarah O'Brien. She had not done anything deceptive that might indicate that she was meeting somebody clandestinely. Elsie and Charles agreed that she was overdue a tryst and took a chance to anticipate her arrival at the Park and Ride car lot.<p>

Charles was positioned on a side street where he could easily follow the bus if their hunch proved true. He and Elsie would communicate via texts if they were successful. Vera's GPS signal had started a few minutes ago and they would soon be able to determine if their guess had paid off.

He squealed internally when he saw her miss her turn towards home. She seemed to be coming towards them.

Elsie received a text from him.

_SHE MISSED HER EXIT. _

Blessed relief, she murmured, as she rubbed her forearms with her hands. It was a cool evening and her disguise of a running tracksuit and trainers was providing less warmth than she would like. She had her hair pulled back in a low bunch and she donned a sports cap. She was pretending to flex her muscles, as somebody who had just finished exercising might. A bus came and opened its doors, expecting her to board, but she waived it away. It roared as it sped onwards and Elsie looked at her watch. Only five minutes had passed since Charles' text. If Vera was coming toward her, she should be getting another text any minute now. She craned her neck towards the entrance of the parking structure. A few cars had entered and their drivers were parking close to where she was standing. Another bus was heralding its arrival and she couldn't be seen choosing to not board the bus.

Her mobile buzzed again.

-SHE'S COMING TO YOU. ETA 5-

Elsie grinned with excitement. There was nothing worse than a failed maneuver. Some customers arrived at the bus stop, those who she had seen parking just a few minutes earlier. The bus arrived and they boarded, leaving her behind. Finally, a few minutes later, she saw Vera's red FIAT come in to the lot.

She texted Charles as she saw Vera back into a spacious spot on the second row.

-TARGET VISIBLE-

To enhance her sporty persona, she continued to flex her muscles, stretching out the calves of her legs and reaching up to the sky with her arms. She felt the pain spread through her entire body and it reminded her why she rarely used this disguise. To keep up with illusion, she had to be in constant motion. She made a mental note to put this outfit at the bottom of the bin or retire it altogether.

She turned back when she saw Vera exit her car. She was facing toward the opposite direction when she heard the undeniable sounds of Vera's shoes clacking on the pavement.

Elsie continued to look away, feigning distraction by continuing with her stretches.

"That's a nice colored outfit."

Elsie was momentarily stunned. _Was Vera talking to her? Even when her back was turned_? There was nobody else around, making her the unquestionable recipient of Vera's friendly conversation. Elsie muffled her response. She wouldn't dare be impolite by not acknowledging her. "Thanks," was all she cared to answer, sending the message she wasn't one to want to talk. She stood leant against one of the supporting beams, facing away from Vera. She took her mobile as if to read something, giving off a busy vibe. _Where was the bus when she needed it? _If it took too long to come, Vera would remember her in her subconscious and she needed to avoid that. She also had to evade any rash moves or statements, as that would also become an indelible memory for Vera. Rudeness always was something that people remembered. Not being ordinary. She had to be random and nondescript to get away with this ruse.

From a distance, she heard the rumbling and the bus come closer as the seconds ticked away. The screeching sound of tires came to a stop a mere meter from where she was standing. She could only move and get on if Vera did. There were two routes that collected passengers from this stop and she hoped Vera got on. From her peripheral vision, she saw as Vera collected her handbag. The doors to the bus opened and Elsie moved, towards them, hoping she had made the right choice. She was relieved when she sensed Vera was right behind her. She entered and paid and moved forward within the bus, trying to find a place where she could sit that might be advantageous. Usually that was the middle if it was not too full. There were only a handful of patrons within, with plenty of open seats available. She chose a clean one. She distracted herself by fixing her gaze out of the window, but kept vigilant, observing from the corner of her eye as Vera paid and made her way down the aisle. Much to her chagrin, Vera took a seat two spaces from her. That was odd, when she had so many choices and the bus was only half full. The proximity affected Elsie's comfort and made her doubt. _Was Vera on to her?_ She relaxed. It was not likely. Maybe Vera was drawn to her motherly serene nature. It had happened to her before in really public places. She attracted odd individuals who were nervous and jumpy and were drawn to her calm and ever placid demeanor. That must be it. The inner turmoil of Vera's deceitful journey was prompting her to find a bastion of calm strength.

Elsie took out her mobile again, pretending to be caught up in something she was reading. If Vera's subconscious was bringing her close to Elsie, the private investigator would need to be as discreetly aloof as possible. She took advantage to text Charles. She could imagine him squealing when he got the message. She knew him too well to not know his little celebratory quirks.

ON BUS WITH TARGET

Upon further inconspicuous observation, Elsie noted that Vera kept peering out of the window, as if she suspected she was being followed. _Had she had seen Charles in his car_? That wasn't possible. Elsie was sure her guilt had her acting restlessly.

"Can I bother you with the time?"

Oh Lord, now Vera was talking to her again. She pretended not to hear and hoped that somebody nearby would offer her the time so she wouldn't ask again. Those nearby were intent on being obscure, thus, Vera asked again, a little louder, imagining that she had not been loud enough the first time.

"A quarter to eight", Elsie answered after peering down into her mobile's home screen. She hoped that would appease her. The last thing she needed was conversation.

They were still a few stops from where she and Pops had concluded Vera may have gotten off the last time. She peered out the window and could see Charles within their vehicle in the distance. He was not close enough to be compromised; only she could realize it was him. She predicted that Vera's descent from the bus would be quick, so she readied her next text for Charles. TARGET GETTING OFF. I CANT FOLLOW. YOUR MOVE - Charles would need to continue with the surveillance for them. She would withhold pressing the SEND button until Vera stood up.

In the second it took her to look up, Vera caught her gaze and spoke to her.

"I've never been brave enough to wear a track suit in public. I envy your courage." _Was Vera commenting on her poor choice of wardrobe and being facetious about it? _Elsie smiled graciously.

"Well, if one runs or exercises, they become necessary to wear….. It's not about courage, it's about comfort. At my age, I am not looking to impress anyone."

Vera laughed. "That is very true. I'm sorry. I may have sounded rude." She looked around again. "Oh my. My stop has crept up on me. Good bye."

Elsie stayed on the bus and hit the send key.

Charles received Elsie's text. He looked up and at the same time, he noticed Vera cross the street in front of him. She was swift, catching the tail end of the pedestrian walk signal. She made her way towards a taxi stand. The light was still red and he could not move. There were cars all around him. He wouldn't be able to follow unless he made a rash, visible maneuver, drawing attention to himself. With pain, he saw how she jumped into the back of one of the awaiting vehicles that were available. The car sped away in the direction from where the bus had just come.

He banged the steering wheel in frustration. She had eluded them again.

* * *

><p>Anna smoothed the edges of the duvet around her, remaining upright, propped by the half dozen pillows on her bed. She had a pile of documents spread around her. She wouldn't be getting to bed anytime soon. She had received a package from Joe and she was intent on going through as much of the information that she could, hoping to garner clues and make a definite decision on who Vera's potential lover could be.<p>

"Can I come in?" Mary stood at the door, home from a shift at the pub, looking weary and ready for sleep as well.

"Of course you can, just – don't mess any of my papers around. I've got a system going."

Mary took a seat on the corner of her Full sized bed, where she couldn't be in Anna's way.

"A system? My, My… how professional." She rolled her eyes and smiled, teasing Anna. This wasn't the first time she had come home to find Anna with investigation paperwork, but she had never seen Anna so immersed, so late in the evening. Pulling the double duty between working full days at the compound, then perusing all the documentation and listening to the voice files from Bates Airlift was bound to tire her out. She vowed to watch out if her friend was overexerting herself. "What's going on thus far?"

Anna chuckled at Mary's reaction to her organized mayhem. This was one of those cases that required her full attention and she was trying her hardest to make connections between the information she had. Mary was very useful. Whenever she was stuck, or trying to reason something out, she would explain it to Mary and the process of describing the information helped her make sense of it all. On occasion, when she didn't have any other leads, or ideas, Mary would ask questions that would start her thinking on alternatives. She could not talk about all her cases, some were of a very sensitive nature and she wasn't sure that it was ethical to reveal certain aspects of the data she had; however, for those that she could talk about, she did appreciate her friend's willingness to listen. In this case, there were very few degrees of separation between Mary and John and she waffled for a moment, wondering how much she could discuss. She probably would not talk about Vera's movements or any facts, even if Mary knew about John's marital troubles and her alleged infidelity. Talking about the potential suitors should not be a problem.

"Well, I have credit card and banking statements, plus, the mobile records for Vera and some of the men in the firm. I am trying to correlate the information to see if there are any clues."

Mary looked to a stack of neat files, those that were closest to her, and was able to quickly discern that these were the men under investigation. She took the dossiers into her hands and fanned them out as if they were playing cards. The pictures of the men were all visible.

"Why did you choose him?" She extricated the file with the picture of Jack Ross. "Nice looking bloke," she added.

"Remember that I have to try to think like Vera would." It was important for Anna to always try to get into the mindset of the target.

Mary agreed.

"Jack is an outlier. He's different than all the rest of the men. As an African-American working among the same type of man she's always seen, he stands out. His dark skin is attractive and his American voice is different."

"He's American?" Mary looked interested.

Anna nodded.

"He is very handsome and suave and from what little I've spoken to him, he's a gentle flirt, the type who doesn't mean to flirt, but who does so in a non-preying kind of way. One could be swept away with that charisma. He always gets the girl because he is very smooth and knows exactly what to say and what to do in any situation. He has a sparkle in his eyes. If I were Vera, I might be interested in seducing him because he is not the average man she's in contact with. She would see him as a trophy, somebody she could eventually boast about and if urban legend is true about the prowess of black men, she would want to get into his pants."

Mary laughed. She looked impressed with Jack Ross.

"Forget about Vera. I want to meet him…." She emphasized the "I".

"Sorry, love. He's spoken for. He has an English fiancé."

Mary pouted.

"What about this one? What does your inner Vera say about him?"

She now had Tom Branson.

"Oh, Tom? Well, he's Irish. He's a blue collar boy and has an amazing work ethic. He is very dedicated, with strong ideals and he actively participates with the mechanic labor union. He also has a boyish charm about him and is very handsome. If I were Vera, and if I were homesick for somebody from back home, Tom would be the perfect person for a tryst. Because of his politics and the typical antagonistic nature of management vs. labor, she would try to break him and seduce him to empower herself and reduce him. That seduction would be a power struggle and the fact that he's from back home makes it all the sweeter."

"Oh, well. He is very cute, but we'll just put him down. He seems too difficult to bother with."

Mary was picking up the next one.

"You are going to make me talk about each one, are you? ….and I am guessing that it is not precisely because you are interested in my work." Anna's brows furrowed and she looked at Mary quizzically.

Mary smiled and squinted her eyes in amusement. Anna had guessed her ulterior motives.

"You cannot fish for a new boyfriend from my work, Mary." Anna tilted her head, emphasizing her words, but smiling.

"Oh, please. It's not like I am going to go to your office to meet any of them…. I just like to know what's on the market. Do tell me about the others." Mary fished another from the pile, holding it high.

"Fine," Anna relented. Mary was not a serial dater. She'd had two steady boyfriends since they had met, but she was in a bit of a dry spell. There were many men she attracted, but, none were boyfriend quality. It wouldn't hurt to play this game with her.

She reached to see what new file Mary was holding.

"Evelyn Napier – He is a gentleman, the epitome of class and distinction. He is very chivalrous and gallant, the type who stands when you enter a room and goes out of his way to open a door for you. You could say that he is a reincarnation of a man of the past, not like the uncouth blokes we encounter these days. He comes from an aristocratic background and is the heir to his family's title, if not any land or money, but he doesn't boast or use that to his advantage. He earns an honest man's wage, while hiding his lineage. For all of Mr. Bates' money, Vera is a bit crass. I've seen and heard some things that might make your hair stand on end. If I were her, I might try to seduce him, because if she has any feelings of inferiority, bedding a member of the aristocracy might validate her."

"Mmm," Mary nodded, agreeing with Anna's reasoning.

"This is Anthony Strallan. He's an accountant and a bit of a geek. I bet if I were to open a storage room in his house, he would be the type to have every Star Wars action figure in its original box, stored away for posterity. He has a gentle heart, the type that is easily trampled over. I've seen them together and she is very forward with him. He is a good man, but awkward with women as he speaks to them. He is also a bit of a pushover. She gets a thrill from emasculating him and keeping him at her beck and call. I can't see her seducing him for her pleasure, rather, to control him and bid him do what she wants. I've seen him be aloof with Mr. Bates right after meeting with her, which means that she already has a hold on him of some sort. Out of all the men, he may be the one that likes or loves her and she is abusing that and taking advantage of it."

Mary seemed heartbroken for him. His picture reflected a kind soul. "How horrible for him."

"Well, we don't know any truths right now. Remember that this is speculation from observation. I hope to come to some conclusions from reading all of this." She spanned her arm horizontally, alluding to the piles of files that lay all over her bed. "It could be none of them at all or it could be one of the others I've not mentioned. It could be she is not having an affair at all and John Bates is crazy!"

"I doubt John is crazy." Mary rolled her eyes as she picked up the last dossier. "What about..." She focused to read the name. "….Richard Carlisle. He looks very dapper."

"He is, and he is the most difficult to read. He is hardly in the office. As the Sales Manager, Richard is out and about a lot. I am having a hard time figuring out what makes him tick and just wanted to have his information handy. I want to get a better idea of who he is and his potential motivations."

"Interesting." Mary put the dossiers together and handed them back to Anna. "Have you found anything yet?"

"I am just starting. Ask me again tomorrow."

* * *

><p>CALL ME WHEN YOU CAN. RE: BATES<p>

When did that come in? She had not heard her mobile vibrate. It must have been late at night as she went through the documentation. She was so focused, they could have had an emergency and she would not have noticed. She put her mobile in the cradle mount, turned on the ignition in her car, adjusted her Bluetooth earpiece and called Elsie back. She was on her way to another day of work.

The phone hardly rang before Elsie answered.

"Hello, love."

"It's me. I just realized you sent me a message yesterday. Sorry, I was going through the paperwork and must have not heard."

"No problem. It was not urgent. If I had needed to talk to you desperately, I would have found you."

Anna chuckled. Elsie was very persistent went she wanted to be. She would have called the home phone, Mary's mobile, or rang her a dozen times until she called back. She'd done it before.

"How are you getting on in that place? I wish you didn't have to be there."

Elsie would worry, so, there was no point in making her nervous. She needn't know about the challenges she was having with some of the staff. She would think that Anna needed to leave, her motherly instinct wanting to protect her, but Anna, despite the minor setbacks, was very happy to be learning something different.

"Everything is fine."

Anna's statement was lacking any emotion and Elsie paused, considering asking her more questions. She stopped herself when she remembered that Anna was an adult and if there was a problem, she would tell her.

"Listen, Pops and I need you to come home tonight so we can share data. Vera is definitely up to something. She took the same bus route as last time, got off and then took a taxi to another location. She was nervous the entire time. We waited until she returned to her car. She was gone over two hours. Perhaps it is time to give Mr. Bates a report."

"I was going to suggest the same thing."

"Only, we need to go more covert. Vera insisted on striking a conversation with me yesterday, so, I have been slightly compromised. It is not wise for me to go meet with him, nor is it for Pops, as he will have to front the next surveillance runs. You'll have to meet him alone and devise another communication strategy - Something modern, something you young'uns would understand, but, I would have no clue."

"Do you think she knows about us?" Elsie was rarely concerned, so, it was important to heed her warning.

"It's not likely, but, she was too nervous, peeking out of the window constantly. I hardly think she is on to us specifically, but, it would do good to avoid being seen with him altogether. Whatever she is hiding is making her act this way and if she gets paranoiac enough, she might trail him too. "

"Sure, I'll set something up for tomorrow. I'll tell him today."

* * *

><p>"Hello, Robert."<p>

"Anna, how lovely to see you. Mary is in the back office."

Anna wasn't there to see Mary; she had made an appointment to talk with John Bates about his case.

"I'm actually here to meet Mr. Bates, so, if it's all the same to you, I'll just sit here at the counter and wait for him."

"No problem. What can I get you?"

"How about a Pimms Lemonade?" She moved to open her handbag and pay, but he stopped her.

"You let my daughter live with you for free and you are going to make my best mate's life a hell of a lot better. It's on the house." She smiled with a bit of embarrassment. She owned the flat where they lived, purchased with part of her inheritance. Mary paid many of their other expenses, sharing in all the other costs. It was not a charity to have her there; it was mutual companionship. She appreciated his gesture all the same, but worried about his statement regarding his best mate. She knew he meant her private detective skills would solve his marital issues, but, might her increasing attraction to Mr. Bates be noticeable? Surely it was not. Robert's words made her apprehensive, though. She was good at what she did and wanted so badly to deliver what Mr. Bates needed, for more reasons that she could even fathom. She hoped to live up to their expectations.

"Thank you," she accepted graciously.

Not a moment later, she saw Robert's face change. Upon it, she could see the excitement of familiarity, of coming across somebody very dear. Mr. Bates must have arrived. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She remained staring forward, willing the sensation to pass and trying to look as natural as possible. It wouldn't do to have Robert suspect she was having misguided feelings for her client, his friend. Neither of the men needed to know that she had gone home straight after work to shower and change, wanting to look her best. She could have come straight from the office, yet, he had called her beautiful earlier in the week and she didn't want to shatter the illusion. This is not a date, she repeated to herself. This is a business meeting. Her head was aware, and now her heart needed to understand too.

"Anna, Robert, Good Afternoon." His deep, masculine voice greeted them from over her shoulder. A shiver ran down her spine. She could smell the same cologne from the other day too. She turned and saw a very relaxed and jovial Mr. Bates wearing the same clothing she met him in so many weeks ago – jeans, a classic white polo shirt and a leather aviator jacket. He looked gorgeous. His hair flopped into his face, unruly locks scattered about. His smile was infectious. He looked happy to see her and happy to be there. The strict suit persona she encountered on a daily basis was a fine figure of a man, very mature, exacting authority and demanding of respect. She respected him greatly. The alternate persona she had in front of her looked younger and of freer spirit. She liked this version very much too.

"Hello," they both responded back in unison. Robert was quick to pull a glass and fill it with Diet coke. He pushed it towards John.

John took a seat next to her at the deserted counter. He looked relieved that there was nobody else they had to share it with. There were plenty of patrons scattered about, yet all of them had preferred tables that evening. He turned a moment away from her, pretending to fix something inside his jacket. There was nothing wrong with it at all. He just needed a moment to breathe. Had this been a date, he would have told her how lovely she looked. She took his breath away. He was used to seeing her very businesslike, having met her in a pantsuit with her hair pulled back, and had never seen her in anything beyond her professional attire and the same hairdo since. Well, that would be true if you ignored the locker incident. He had seen her in a towel - a very skimpy towel. That was the exception. Now, she was wearing slim jeans, black boots that went up to below her knees and a figure flattering royal blue jumper with a cowl neck that accentuated her curves perfectly. She had let her hair down, in waves and it was entrancing. How beautiful her golden hair made her look. This wasn't a date, though. It was a business meeting and it wouldn't be proper to say such things. Her Godparents who were not here yet wouldn't appreciate him ogling at her either.

"Mr. Bates. I'm glad you could come. "

He finished finagling with his jacket and turned to look at her.

He almost whispered his answer. "I wouldn't miss it." He paused and looked around. "Are you sure we shouldn't head to the back office instead?"

"Are you still being paranoiac mate?" Robert's face showed he was mocking his friend. His voice was teasing. "Do you still think you are being followed?" Robert couldn't avoid listening to their conversation. Everything was tidy and well stocked. Besides the occasional customer walking to the counter to get a drink, there wasn't much for him to do. He couldn't disappear and not tend to his business.

Before John could say anything, Anna interceded on his behalf. "You shouldn't tease him. There is substance to his fears."

Both Robert and John's faces fell.

"So, isn't that the more reason to go inside?" John persisted.

"No. It is better if we are here. I don't believe you are being followed, but if you were being trailed, it would take a few minutes for the investigator to park their car and come inside. You've only just got here. If there were two investigators, like my godparents work together, the other tracker would have walked in a few minutes behind you, already sitting down where they could observe you. Nobody has come in yet."

Robert observed the tables that were full. "Besides that table in the back, the rest are all regulars. The folks in the back table have been here for about an hour and have already paid part of their tab with a credit card. I don't think they are suspicious."

Anna continued. "Robert's knowledge of his customers and his business is our perfect cover. If somebody was intent on following you, then, our disappearing into or coming out of an office together would be highly suspicious. If Robert stays here, in the bar area, and surveys everybody who comes and goes, it is easier to come across as two business colleagues that just happened to run into each other at a pub - nothing more than a happy coincidence. He could then alert us and we could take extra precautions."

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Carson. Won't it be crowded with them here too?"

"No, they are not coming. They thought it was better if they did not. I'll explain in a moment."

_Spending time alone with Anna?_ He couldn't imagine his luck. Before his emotions could betray him, he conceded. "That makes perfect sense, then."

_Did he just get excited that they are not coming?_ She thought he smiled quickly before he agreed with her. She must have imagined it because his face was as stoic as when he was in the office. Never mind, she thought to herself.

To settle the issue of the meeting's location, she had one more question to pose. She did not want to assume that everything she had to say could be mentioned so freely, so close to his friend. She didn't want to hurt Robert's feelings or put Mr. Bates in a difficult situation with her next statement, but she must ask. "Unless of course, you don't want anybody to know?" She hadn't said Robert's name, but hoped he understood the implication of her question.

Robert looked down, not wanting to pressure John, allowing him to make his own determinations.

John looked flabbergasted at the thought.

"No, of course not. I trust Robert implicitly." His old comrade looked up, very touched and pleased with his words. "He knows everything about this situation. If something ever happened to me, there is nobody I trust more to make decisions and represent me than Robert Crawley. I trusted him with my life; I can trust him with any sordid details you have to give me."

Mr. Bates looked at his friend before turning back to Anna.

"So, tell me."

Anna recounted the details of Vera's movements; how they had tracked her and had begun to see a pattern emerge. She explained Elsie's idea that she had been compromised as well.

"So, she has something to hide. I am not surprised."

"I just want to confirm that we are not chasing a dead end here. Are you aware of those movements? Does she do anything that requires her to take a bus, then a taxi?"

"Absolutely not. She does not tell me where she is going or what she is up to. She was never very charitable, nor politically inclined, nor religious, and does not have any hobbies, so, I cannot imagine that she is participating in any groups that would keep her entertained or out of the house on a regular basis. This would mean that my suspicion is confirmed."

"To a degree. We cannot confirm that yet, but she is grooming herself and that may or may not be an indicator. You would have to tell us if that is something she has always done."

"Grooming?" He looked perplexed and ran his hand through his hair.

Oh Lord. She had to tell him about the Brazilian wax. It would kill her to find out he had seen it. Although, it shouldn't. Vera was his wife. No matter his desire to divorce his wife, that didn't mean they weren't intimate with each other. She had seen it countless times in other cases. Lust won over reason and many couples on the verge of divorce couldn't stay away from each other.

The easiest way now would be to be direct with it. She avoided his eyes by pretending to pick lint from her sweater. She focused on a particular troublesome part in her wrists as she asked her question.

"Vera had her vagina waxed to remove pubic hair. You may have noticed. Does she do that regularly?" She felt her face flush after the question.

John couldn't believe the last enquiry. Anna thought he still had relations with his wife. That hadn't happened in over five years…..or more. He honestly couldn't remember. Their marriage had been many things, but passionate was not one of them. He didn't know why, but he felt he had to set Anna straight.

She forced herself to look up.

He couldn't place the look in her eyes. It was almost as if he could tell she was imploring him to not know about the wax. He sighed. "Well, if she is grooming herself, it was not for me. I honestly can't tell you if she does that regularly or not. It has been years since….." His voice trailed off uncomfortably. He hoped she understood.

Anna had. She was relieved; more relieved than she had any right to be.

"It's a painful process. It is not a rule, but, more often than not, that type of torture is only endured for somebody else's benefit. We will continue on her trail and we will find whose benefit that is."

* * *

><p>The evening progressed smoothly. Nobody had come to track John. Robert kept a vigilant watch, looking out for anybody suspicious. Robert recognized most of his patrons, as this wasn't a large town. When more customers came in, he had sought Mary out to come from the back to help. She soon joined him, having finished the accounting in the back office. Mary saw John and her friend, and greeted them briefly before she went back to tending to their customers.<p>

Anna and John hardly acknowledged Mary when she came to them. They were still wrapped up in each other and their conversation. It had flowed freely regarding the investigation, with some witty interruptions of the most mundane topics. Talking to each other seemed natural and comfortable.

Eventually, it shifted to the matter of her work at Bates Airlift and her undercover impressions. She did not disclose her five candidates because it was her speculation and if anything changed at all in his treatment of them, the investigation could be derailed. She just told him she had started concentrating on certain individuals so that he felt there was progress.

Eventually, they discussed recent events.

"I am very embarrassed about Sarah's reaction towards you." He looked honest.

She had wondered how she could bring up the topic. There were nagging doubts in her mind since that moment. _Did he think her incompetent?"_

"On the contrary, I am very concerned that you may think that the internship is going poorly. I am new in your business and I will make mistakes, but, Mr. Bates, I promise you that I did not do anything of what Sarah accused me of."

He raised his hand to stop her from continuing.

"I have two things to say about what you just said. The first is - Don't apologize. I know you just started with us, but, I am very pleased with the quality of your work at Bates Airlift. You have demonstrated competency and initiative. If you were looking for an actual job, I would probably hire you." He had a look that did not make her doubt he meant what he said.

The joy in her heart at hearing that statement with such conviction made her smile wide. She wondered if it was appropriate to react that way to such a comment. He was complimenting her personally, for something she was trying to excel in. Something she was trying to achieve – a break from her current job. That confidence led her to react playfully to his statement.

"I am rather pleased to hear that… and who knows what will happen after we wrap up this investigation. I may come knocking at your door."

John laughed in response. Anna's demeanor during her last statement was very coquettish. She was flirting with him. Her smile was adorable, as was the way her head tilted towards him when she said those words. He also hoped that after the investigation was over, he could still see her.

"What is the second?" Anna asked, still smiling at him.

"You do not have to call me Mr. Bates outside the office. You should call me John." He realized that even outside the compound, she was calling him Mr. Bates. It made him feel very ancient. He wasn't sure how old she was, but if she were close to Mary's age, that made the amount of years between them sizeable. Having her call him Mr. Bates made it worse.

Anna thought she would melt. She was sure he could see it too, as she found it difficult to conceal the feelings that were rushing forth. Calling him John would make their relationship, or whatever this was, what they were doing, or not doing, more personal. She longed for anything that would make them closer. But she couldn't. If she were to start calling him John, there would come a moment where she might be mixed up and ruin her cover, or jeopardize him. For the success of the mission, she would have to desist.

"I would love to, but I can't Mr. Bates."

He looked disappointed." _Was he reading her signals wrong_? She had been flirting with him seconds before.

"I need to continue to call you Mr. Bates. If I don't, I could make a mistake at the office and jeopardize the investigation." His reaction eased and she smiled before continuing. "As soon as it is over, I will call you John. I promise."

"Well, as long as you promise…" She was so professional and he understood. She had also pledged to change that in the future._ The future? Could there be a future in this?_ They would have to wait and see. Everything seemed so tumultuous at the moment.

The tone turned to business again. Anna still had some thoughts she wanted to discuss.

"Can I give you the rest of my impressions about the office?" she added, affirmed by his previous statements that made her feel as a valuable member of his team. When he assented, she spoke of her general observations of the department, how his business was at risk and some ideas she had about the automation that could help remedy the situation. She tried to disparage Sarah as little as possible because that was not her main focus and after their discussion, she realized that Ms. O'Brien wouldn't be leaving any time soon while Vera Bates was still at the compound. It was a good conversation overall.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean this is the last time we will meet? He looked concerned when Anna told him. "How am I supposed to get information about the investigation? What about everything you said about it being fine for us to be at the counter together?"<p>

John felt deflated. His session with Anna had been a delightful experience. Nothing that was said about Vera shocked him, or made him feel bad. Rather, what he had gathered on this evening was that Anna Smith was charming, funny, competent, wise and very beautiful. It was a lethal combination; one that he had would give anything to repeat if only his situation were different. It was not and he needed to keep reminding himself. He shouldn't dare think of anything else until he was divorced.

Anna observed his reaction. He seemed genuinely disheartened by this. It was for the best. They both knew it. She'd waited until everything else was discussed that evening to tell him that Elsie and her Pops felt that Vera's nervousness warranted extra precaution. That, plus Vera's statement from earlier in the week regarding his potential infidelity required caution. She had not told Elsie about it. She did not feel right having his image sullied; especially not to her Godparents - Not when she wasn't certain about anything. She would never confront John, not even as a private investigator. She had overheard Vera ask him about a woman's name before he closed the door as he entered her office. She had no right, as her question had nothing to do with their arrangement. Anna was close enough to hear Vera's mocking tone and accusatory words. Whatever he was doing was his business. Her growing feelings for him aside, It would hurt her if that was what he was really up to, as he had demonstrated such passion when he spoke about his business that first time they met. She would not believe he would put that at risk. Yet, if Vera was inclined to believe it were true, it wouldn't be right for them to be seen together so often outside of the office. They could pull it off this once. After that, her association with John Bates could be misconstrued and hurt him in the long run.

Not that it would not hurt her. This evening had surpassed her expectations. He was such a gentleman and everything he said and did made her think that Vera did not know what she was giving up by cheating on him. She didn't know about his whole life, and it was fraught with turmoil, but she sensed he was a romantic man, capable of great passion and love, but suffering for a lack of it. He didn't know what it felt like to be loved or wanted by a woman. She wished she could be the one to show him.

He understood the reasoning when she explained Elsie's suspicions and didn't question her further. He was more concerned about communication during the investigation. It was crucial to be kept informed.

"We'll be using your IPhone." She asked for it and looked at the settings. She made sure it was not compromised by smartphone monitoring systems or apps. They needed to be extra careful if it was to be their primary mode of communication. He did not have it password protected. She changed that. It would be better if Vera did not chance upon his content if he happened to leave it lying around in their home. He chose something, at her urging, that Vera could never guess. He did not seem to be tech savvy, nor was he aware of the features allowed to him on his smartphone. He confessed he only had one because it seemed to be the thing to do. The extent of his knowledge was downloading apps and his entire inventory consisted of flight trackers, GPS maps, fancy compasses, navigations charts, etc. – basically, things relating to his passion.

She downloaded the DROPBOX application and explained the uses and how files would be loaded for his viewing. They accessed the text document that was there, a day to day register of Vera's whereabouts arranged by time. She had uploaded an extract of Sarah's outburst from the day prior, caught on her voice activated mini recorder to illustrate how voice and video surveillance files might be uploaded as well.

"This is incredible," he repeated, when she explained the strategy. She was the only one that had a password and would be the only one uploading information.

Anna's communication strategy did not limit to file sharing in DROPBOX. "I have opened a twitter account for you and have set it up to where you already follow at least 50 others who I thought might interest you, including myself. Some of those have already followed you back. That makes you look like a normal account. That is for us to communicate as well."

"You opened a twitter account for me?" She didn't know if he was upset. She could not read him this time. He looked shocked.

"Yes…. Under a new email. Your identity is YorkFlyBoy. I am EyeInTheSky." She downloaded the twitter app, and made sure she turned off the location tracking features.

He chuckled. So maybe he was not upset. Probably bemused. Too much technology at the same time.

She explained that they could use the Direct Message function in twitter for urgent messages. She would receive it immediately, even at work, but they would also restrict DM usage. If they were ever compromised, it would not do to have that type of evidence. Instead, they would send public messages, encrypted through wording that would mean nothing to others, but would be insightful to them. They would only ever tweet publicly, understanding that the message was meant for the other.

"So, how do I tweet?" he asked. He looked very willing to participate.

"You are allowed 140 characters. Let me show you."

She thought for a moment, remembering something her mother would always tell her. It could help him now. She wrote her message and pressed tweet.

**Hold fast to your dreams, for without, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. –Langston Hughes #neverlosehope**

* * *

><p>Mary and Robert stood together outside of the counter area. They had both wiped down several of the tables and had organized some of the chairs that were left scattered when their customers left. Nobody but regulars were still sitting about and it was almost time to close. Soon they would be asking everybody to leave. There was still no worry regarding Anna and John's security. Robert had been extra vigilant, wanting his friend's endeavors to succeed and there had been nothing alarming. Several hours later, father and daughter stood towards the back and didn't know what to make of what they were seeing.<p>

"Do you suppose there is more to them than it seems?" Mary asked her father as she crossed her arms and tilted her head in observation. Her face reflected confusion. There was something about the way the two were sitting, facing each other, in a very intimate manner that gave the casual observer the feeling the two participants were together, as a couple. "I smell trouble," added Mary when her father did not respond.

Robert was just as shocked as Mary was and he didn't know that he wanted to talk about John to anybody. His friend was a private man. He only hesitated momentarily. Mary had vested interest as Anna's best friend. She would also want to look out for Anna.

The truth was, he had seen Anna flirting with him very subtly. Twice he had seen her reach out and touch him. She laughed at his jokes in the odd moments where they weren't talking about the case or her internship. Not that John looked to be suffering. He caught his friend touching her back. More than once, he saw him give Anna an adoring gaze when she wasn't looking.

He also rolled his head, trying to get a better angle of observation. "I haven't seen John this happy in almost two decades. He hasn't stopped smiling since he got here. I am no expert, but I agree, there may be more than just an investigation going on. Those two have some explaining to do."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you to all those that have reviewed! I hope this isn't boring you.**


	6. Painting Dragons

**Thank you for continuing to read! I've been traveling a lot lately, to very far away places, and jetlag has not been kind. I haven't been able to write as much as I would want. That, coupled with my slow writing skills, equals delays. Sorry and thank you for your patience. I am very committed to this story even if it takes me several weeks between chapters to post.**

**This chapter has taken forever for me to write, and I have not been able to edit it several times as I usually do before posting. There may be some weaknesses. I decided to post anyway because If I don't post now, I may not be able to for another three weeks and I did not want you all to wait that long. **

* * *

><p>"What were you saying about watching and learning?"<p>

Thomas took a drag from his cigarette, attempting to make Sarah upset. He enjoyed that she had very little self-control of her emotions. She was very smart and like him, had the tendency to scheme when things were not going her way. She was not always successful, he thought, because she did not plan things out to the very last detail. That is what set them apart. Thomas didn't apply histrionics to his schemes either. He was more level headed and analytical. He credited his career for that. You couldn't work in Accounting and not adhere to processes. If Sarah took a little more time to plan, she would win her battles. The affair with Anna had been a disaster. It was a good idea, but she had underestimated her opponent. The little intern, who they supposed was a weakling, showed them more cunning than they expected. Sarah was livid, still, after several days. Even the slightest jab regarding Anna's self-established vindication was enough to induce another frenzied fit. He looked up and was amused, having accomplished his task. She was as red as a London bus.

Sarah pointed a finger at Thomas and replied with much passion in her voice. "Don't you start with me. You are supposed to be on my side." She often wondered why she spent so much time with him. He liked to provoke her as often as he could. A friend wouldn't do that. Maybe she should find another. Not that she had many options, come to think of it. He was the only obvious candidate. The pilots lived in a world of their own and talking to them was an exercise in frustration. Some were self-absorbed and the rest liked to talk about helicopters, all the bloody time. Rotation this, wind shear that. They were insufferable and it was never ending. The rest of the team was no better. You couldn't get a word out of Phyllis and you wouldn't want to talk to Anthony. He was just too awkward. Richard was never there and the mechanics were always sweaty and covered in grease. Little Miss Gwen was a know it all and had dreams above her ability, working all the time. What was she trying to prove with all of that nonsensical behavior? She would only get the others in trouble by proving that more could be done. That only left Thomas….and Vera. Vera was a good friend, or a convenient one, rather. Vera had gotten her this job, after having met her several years ago. Their relationship was odd. Vera told her many things and yet, she never quite believed that Vera was completely honest with her. Still, with only Vera and Thomas in the office to count as friends, her social life was limited. Thomas being gay, also meant that she didn't go out with him much. They didn't have anything in common there. They were just office mates, and sometimes she didn't know if they were even that. The way he was carrying on about Anna besting her made her think about his allegiance to her. Where was it?

"I am on your side."

"Well, it doesn't seem like it when you keep going on about her. I'm beginning to think that she's got you under her spell like she has Mr. Bates and Gwen." Thomas scoffed at her comment, denying the accusation. "Oh, you just watch. She's moved on to work with the mechanics this week, but when it is her turn to work with Accounting, you'd better pray she doesn't take a fancy to your work. You'll be coming to ask for my help."

He was still very level headed. He took another drag of his cigarette. He let it out slowly and fixed his determined eyes on her as he started to speak.

"I'm not sure Sarah. What is it that makes you think, that you, or I, are in any sort of jeopardy? Hasn't Vera assured us that she would have to be gone from the company before we ever lost our positions? And hasn't she proved that no matter what Mr. Bates wants, she isn't going anywhere?"

Sarah calmed considerably with his comments. It was true. Vera had told them that Mr. Bates wanted a divorce but that she would never give it to him.

Thomas continued. "Your scheming is a lot of fun to follow and witness. I'll give you that, but you are going about it the wrong way. You are wasting too much energy on that woman. She's working for now and then she will be gone, but you and I will still be here."

Sarah processed his words again. Thomas made a lot of sense, but she did not like her work being scrutinized or questioned by a newbie. "She just gets on my nerves. I wish she were gone already."

"If you really can't stand the sight of her, then, start working Vera. Vera has ways of persuading the top man."

"Maybe you are right.

"I am right."

* * *

><p>Pops walked out of the taxi dispatch office with a smile on his face that even the rain that was falling hard around him could not sully. He had memorized the number of the cab Vera had hired, and written it when he had managed to park safely. He had picked up Elsie a block away from where Vera had descended from the bus and while she was disappointed that he had not been able to continue the pursuit, having written the number earned him a big kiss and much appreciation. She hated the type of surveillance run where she had to be so close to the target. Getting the taxi number could provide a shortcut and hopefully the end to this affair. They had a contact in the dispatch office that provided them this type of information in exchange for a reduction in price of their services. They were lucky enough that the cab company did background checks on all of their drivers and the required the occasional surveillance trip whenever a driver might be up to something fishy.<p>

Elsie took the opportunity to run an errand and was just coming back to their rendezvous point when she saw her husband standing in the corner ready and waiting for her. His umbrella kept the majority of the rain off of him, but he looked quite uncomfortable. She was wondering how he would manage to step into the car when there was much water accumulated on the street. He would not make it without getting his feet wet, even if she neared the car as close to the curb as possible. She tried edging the vehicle parallel to him and in one second, one second too late, she realized her mistake. Her speed was too fast. As she approached him, the water between them was sloshed upwards, soaking him completely. Had water drenching been an Olympic sport, she would have won a medal for sure. His now muddied clothing clung to him.

He was not pleased. "You missed a spot." He managed to say as he pulled open the door to the car and pointed to the left collar of his shirt. It had been the only thing spared when he shifted slightly to avoid the deluge. His voice reflected a tempered, cynical, anger. This was probably a mistake and he did not want to make a big deal out of it. Getting wet this way was just very…inconvenient. Not to mention, his underthings were soaked through and clinging to him quite uncomfortably. He took a seat, not caring that the seat's upholstery would absorb the water. He turned to look at her.

She was visibly contrite and shocked at the same time. "I…I… am sorry, love. I am so terribly sorry." He could tell she was worried. "I was trying to spare you from stepping into the water. I did not realize that said water would soak you anyways when I came close. Science theories on displaced matter where never my thing in school."

The sheepish face she gave him made him laugh and diffused the situation entirely. His dear Elsie made this sort of misjudgment now and then and he couldn't be upset if her intention was noble in the first place. She looked like she still did not know what his reaction would be, sinking into her seat, timidly.

"I think you need to pay for this mistake. I seek retribution." His voice was clear and direct, giving off no hint of his current mood.

Elsie raised one eye, wondering what he meant by retribution. Was he trying to be funny or maybe sultry? He was never any good at wooing her. His idea of a pickup line when they met had been, "Would it displease you to talk?" This relationship had progressed because of her and despite his awkward advances. He was lucky she had seen his worth and his heart.

"Retribution, Charles? That is so passé. You've not been caught up in a Liam Neeson movie. It is just a water-soaking - not kidnapping or murder." She winked at him, hoping her guess regarding his sweet talk was right.

"Come here". He leaned in and wrapped his arm around her neck, bringing her closer. Without much preamble, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her soundly.

Elsie was stunned momentarily but only for a second. She did not mind that he was getting her wet too. She gave herself into it, deepening it further. He was an excellent kisser and if retribution was what he wanted, she would gladly give it to them. Was this supposed to be a punishment for her? She hardly thought so and if this pleased him, she would not argue. She liked it when her husband was frisky.

They were brought out of their reverie by the car behind them. It honked its horn gently, startling them. They were blocking traffic on the street. Elsie moved back quickly and put the car into gear, moving out of the way.

"We're heading home, so that I can shower, change and claim the rest of my payment." He winked. "….and not precisely in that order."

He had the most mischievous look that warmed her heart. "Sounds like a plan."

After a few minutes on the road, Elsie remembered the important matter he was there to investigate.

"So, did you get it?" There was a look of expectation on her face, even as she continued to drive.

"What do you think?" He smiled, proud of himself that day. "I did, although I am not sure I can trust the information."

"Why? Did they not track down the driver?"

Charles rolled his eyes. "It just does not seem logical to me. Maybe you can understand it better than I."

"Well then, go on, love."

"We tracked the driver, a Mr. Rajesh Williams. He didn't have any passengers at the moment and answered our questions. He did remember Vera when I described her and told him where he picked her up. He said that she asked to be dropped off at the SG Petch Car dealership on Jockey Lane at Monks Cross."

Elsie's brows furrowed. The information sounded crazy to her too. "Monks Cross?" she asked, trying to make sense of it. If what Charles was told was true, then she had taken a taxi almost back to where she started. The SG Petch dealership was not too far from the Park and Ride where she had left her car. There was the race track, the go cart facility and the waterworks complex that stood between the dealership and where she was leaving her car.

"Yes, Monks Cross. It doesn't seem logical to me, even if she were trying to form a deception, that she would go out of her way to come to the place right next door. We'll have to drive by and see if there is a guest house or private flats within walking distance."

"Did the driver say anything else?"

"He said she was very fidgety the entire trip, because she changed sitting positions quite frequently. She kept looking out the window and even asked him if he could go faster. When they arrived at the destination, he asked her if he should wait. She said no and handed him a 50 pound note for an 18 pound fare. That's why he remembered her. He had never received such a generous tip before."

Mmmm. Elsie wondered to herself what could make her do such a round trip. It also answered a nagging doubt she had in her mind. When Vera had eluded them this last time, she and Charles had gone back to the Park and Ride to wait for her. In all, she had been gone a little over two hours. As they pottered about in their car, trying to entertain themselves, she suddenly appeared on site. They had anticipated her arrival either by bus, or taxi, or perhaps even dropped off by her lover, but the minutes before she emerged, there had been no activity to confirm she had arrived via any one of those options. It caught them by surprise and they barely had enough time to sink low into their seats to avoid detection. If she had walked there, or had been dropped off further away, that would explain her precipitous arrival.

"Well, if that is her modus operandi, then we shall be waiting for her."

* * *

><p>It was a glorious day and Anna was thrilled that a new week had started. Another week meant a different department and learning something completely novel to her. It also meant goodbye to Sarah O'Brien. Gwen had pulled her aside at the end of last week to congratulate her on surviving and for having put Sarah in her place. The redhead had gone as far as hugging her when they were out of sight, gushing about how cool Anna was and how much Sarah probably hated her by now, which was not a bad thing. Anna wasn't as excited. While it felt good to put the woman in her place and to receive apologies from Mr. Bates, she had not come to Bates Airlift to start a ruckus, or generate workplace conflict. She prided herself in her ability to remain neutral and friendly to all, maintaining a pleasant demeanor. That was her métier at Warwick University and it had not failed her until now. The stakes were higher. She could not afford to make Sarah a permanent enemy. Not when she was so connected to Vera. She spent the weekend thinking about how she could make it up to the older woman, to distract her hate and gain some points against whatever penance she would have to do to get on her good side. She had nothing thus far. Sarah was just plain difficult.<p>

Now, she stretched comfortably, ready to start, and walked across the compound's tarmac. Mr. Bates told her she could relax her dress code for this new assignment and suggested she wear pants in which she could bend and stretch. She didn't want to wear jeans, thinking it wouldn't be professional, so she found some older black slacks she didn't really wear anymore and a plain light blue, long sleeve shirt made out of t-shirt material. She found the most comfortable walking shoes and pulled her hair back as she always did. She would be assisting William and Tom with the helicopters. She wasn't sure she could do anything at all, not having any knowledge of what it took to maintain one of these birds. Maybe she was set to help them clean them up. If that were the case, it didn't bother her one bit. All of it was exciting.

She came into the hangar and saw both mechanics so focused on whatever they were doing that that they had not seen her approach.

"Hello….." she called out, as she neared the desk where they were huddled.

They both jumped up, startled by her arrival.

"I didn't mean to surprise you. I wasn't trying to be quiet or anything," she added in the hopes that they were not upset with her.

"Oh, it's not your fault," added the gentle young man she had come to know as William. He was such a sweet person, and very shy. He hardly came into the offices, preferring to spend time with his metallic girls in the hangar. "We were just very absorbed, determining how we were going to paint this dragon on Ava."

Anna looked confused, but had an inkling of what they might be talking about. "Is that the wish child, Haley's dragon? The one Mr. Bates talked about at the meeting last week?" She had left the meeting to cover the phones and missed some of the finer points regarding how the office would handle the affair. She had not been assigned any tasks, and had forgotten to ask Gwen where she might be needed.

'That's the one. You, William and I have three days to make Ava look phenomenal." He pointed at one of the three helicopters in the bay. Maggie was in her usual corner. By now Anna knew only Mr. Bates flew her, and it had been the chopper he had used when he surprised her the day she took the illicit shower. The other helicopter was Audrey. She could not tell them apart by their make and model's characteristics yet, but Gwen had shared that if she looked at the underside, close to the front, she would find the bird's name beautifully stenciled. It had helped immensely since her first day on the compound.

She joined the team in plotting and learned that William was very creative and liked to draw in his spare time. The actual drawing of the dragon had been provided by the foundation, as it was the dragon the child envisioned in her imagination. William pledged that he would do his best to convert the oddly shaped helicopter into something that looked similar to the paper. They divided the work between the three of them, Tom explaining that between himself and William, they also needed to complete a full mechanical revision of Audrey by week's end. A complete overhaul, they called it. Wish child or not, they still had some important work to do. Mr. Bates was a generous man by taking Ava out of the roster for four days. It would take three days to prep her, plus the day she would be used for the outing. That was in addition to the complete revision scheduled for Audrey. Two helicopters out of commission cost the company money. They needed to make sure that there was no delay of any kind this week. Thus, having Anna with them would be a godsend. Even though it was difficult for her to believe, they both confirmed that she would be helping them greatly.

She was further surprised when Tom handed her a package surrounded by plastic wrapping.

"What is this?" she asked surprised, as she turned it over and around, looking for clues.

"It is your jumpsuit. You didn't think we would let you work in that, did you?" Tom was pointing at her clothing.

Anna didn't know whether to be put off by his comment. He didn't look like he was trying to offend her. She wanted to ask what was wrong with her outfit, but he beat her to it.

"No offense, darling. You look just fine….but; you'll see the difference when you wear it. "

Anna opened the package to reveal the same outfit that Tom and William were wearing. It seemed to be her size too. Following their instructions, she went into the storage room for spare parts, the only enclosed area in the hangar that could provide privacy. Closing the door behind her, she proceeded to make sure there were no windows and no cameras. An innocent action like changing could change her world if it ended up on the internet. Not that she suspected the guys would do that. She thought Tom and William looked trustworthy, but she still did not know them well enough. It was also in her nature as a private investigator to doubt. Tom was on her top five list right now and she hoped that this week with him could remove him. When she was ready and felt comfortable that there was no hidden camera, she disrobed and put on the jumpsuit. After she zipped it up, she realized Tom was right. It was very comfortable. She didn't have a name embroidered onto the outfit like they did, but she felt like she belonged there and she was loving every second of it.

* * *

><p>Anna was astonished after working a full day in the hangar at just how many interruptions Tom and William had to contend with. Some were routine. She observed Michael Gregson and Jack Ross leave on an oil platform run with a full load on Marilyn. Before they could even take off, many things had to happen. Working in the sheltered office space, she had not imagined the buzz of activity required for each and every departure. Gwen had escorted several oil rig workers to board the chopper. Previously, William had fueled it and she had helped follow the safety procedures. Nobody was allowed in the vicinity during that activity. Not even her. Then she was allowed to walk around as Tom had done a flight pre-check with Michael. They inspected the rails, the entire body of the machine for any scratches or dents that could impact the aerodynamics, as well as each rotor. Michael had told her that it was just as much his responsibility, as a Pilot, to make sure that their helicopters were in shape, than it was of their mechanics. He was the one flying it and the one who wanted to get home safely. That made a lot of sense to Anna. Evelyn had sourced the refreshments from the hangar's refrigeration units, showing her where they needed to be placed and he showed her how to read Sarah's trip sheets, from their point of view, so that their customers had what they needed. It was her most interesting experience thus far. She liked aviation very much.<p>

After the departure took place, both William and Tom stepped back into the hangar to finish their duties. To help them, she was assigned the prep work on Ava. They would be using water based paints that were soluble and easy to clean up afterwards. They needed to paint her within the hangar, as the rainy weather or early morning Yorkshire mist could bleed the colors and lines through, ruining their work. Maggie had to be moved out to make space for Ava and Mr. Bates had agreed, understanding that space would be minimal. The bird was set up at a convenient angle to Audrey so that they could go between assets without any problem. She was instructed to tape up the rear rotor and to cover any orifice that she found. Paint could not get into the motor or dry up in any vents or mechanical parts of the helicopter, as it could pose a safety concern. Once painted, the tape would be removed so that he helicopter could function correctly. After taping, she would have to paint the entire aircraft with white primer so that William's design would be discernible and not conflict with the Bates Airlift logo beneath.

It was during this challenge that she realized of their not so routine interruptions. Vera came by. Mrs. Bates had not noticed her, lying flat on the floor underneath Ava, as she taped as per their instructions. IT was a good vantage point, she realized. The woman came through, meandering in between both choppers and avoiding the ladders and tables full of taken-apart bits that both mechanics were removing from the aircraft. Anna didn't inquire yet, but they had a system, making sure they did not end up with any leftover parts after putting Audrey back together. Each table seemed to be exclusive for a single operating component. Vera dodged the last one until she was close to Tom, currently bent over the front engine.

"Is Maggie sitting out there because my husband is planning a trip?" Tom had not heard her walk in, absorbed in the electrical system. He almost hit his head when turning to acknowledge her. William was on the other side, on a ladder, taking apart the rear rotor. Tom knew she was addressing him.

"I think Mr. Bates would be better able to answer that question than I, Mrs. Bates."

"Nonsense, Tom. You know everything that goes on around here." She moved in a little closer and touched his arm. "You would have to prep the aircraft for use." She puckered her lips trying to look more attractive. Flirting was her tool and she was fully employing it on the Irish man.

It was in this moment, perhaps in the tone of voice or the words employed, that Anna took Tom Branson off of the potential lover list. She realized he could be deflecting Mrs. Bates because she, herself, was a few feet away, listening in, and William was looking on, but there was fire in his voice; that of loyalty and steadfastness. He looked annoyed at her actions towards him, refusing to be a pawn in whatever game she was playing. He did not look like a jilted or ex-lover either – just a working man, trying to do his job right. Maybe Sarah should spend some time with him. She could learn a lot.

"I am very sorry Mrs. Bates. I do not keep tabs on your husband. I may work for him, but I am not his keeper. Maggie is prepared and ready all the time. He does not tell me when he goes and if he did, I would not be the one to share that information. All flights into and out of the compound are registered in our flight logs. As co-owner, you have access to those as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have much work to get done."

She did not look too thrilled. She was even less excited when Anna dropped the roll of tape she was carrying and the sound of the boom it made on the floor echoed through the hangar. Vera turned her head to investigate where the sound came from. She detected Anna on the floor and huffed with a bit of indignation of having discovered a witness to Tom's brush-off of her.

She spun to leave, ignoring Anna and Tom. "Good-bye William." She made it a point to emphasize his name. The young man made no attempt to answer Vera who was already half way through the tarmac.

"Does she do that often? Come here like that?" Anna thought she would ask, when Vera was far enough away to not hear, in the off chance that Tom was in the talking mood. It wouldn't hurt and maybe she could get some answers, furthering her investigation.

She was in luck, moderately.

"Yes, ever so often. I admire Mr. Bates greatly. He is a good man and a decent employer. I wish I could say the same thing about her. She tries to parade herself as a great lady, but, she has lost my respect in the way that she tries to get things from everybody using her charm and good looks. I prefer women who use their brains. She's a beautiful lady, but I am not biting."

"She's a nice lady. I've not had a problem with her," William added meekly, as he came around to work on the rotor structure on the other side, where Anna could now see him.

"You be careful William. You're just the type to get caught up in her intrigue. You are very trusting, good person, and that can hurt you in the future. You steer clear of her, and you will be alright."

Tom did not say much after that and she did not want to press either of them. William stayed quiet, tending to his work. Anna reflected on Tom and William's words, as she put the finishing touches on the tape.

* * *

><p>By the afternoon's end, they had tended to additional flights. They saw Daisy and Jimmy off on their Executive runs and also saw to the landing of Sophia, with Evelyn Napier and Tony Gillingham at the helm. By the early evening, when things were winding down, they had their last interruption. To Anna, this was the most shocking of all.<p>

She had nearly finished painting Ava, all on her own. Both Tom and William were impressed that she had managed to prime nearly all of her, not needing their assistance. Anna enjoyed doing it, greatly. Her father had been very handy, always doing things around their flat and she spend much time with him that way. She was not gifted, like he was, but she knew her way around tools and was not afraid to take on any project. She thought a lot about him the entire time she held the paintbrush in her hands. Regardless of her personal motivation and memories, her progress had allowed William much time to work on Audrey and complete the rear rotor check in one day. They were making good time with all of their tasks this week.

Intent on finishing the priming that very same day, Anna had to contort her body to reach some cumbersome angles on the surface. The mood in the area was mellow. Tom had relaxed the ambience in the hangar a few hours back and had put the radio on. She was listening to the DJ's discuss the local MP's proposal on tax increases. She was not often political, not like she felt Tom might be. He had already shared his opinion on a couple of matters. Even when she mostly kept her opinions to herself, she liked to keep abreast of what was going on in her community when she could. Since joining Bates Airlift, that had not been possible and this was a welcome distraction. It was when she was paying attention to the radio that she felt something slide across her bum. It felt like a hand had patted her. It was a weird sensation, because when it happened, she was completely bent over, standing on one leg, while the other was in the air, balancing her body so she would not topple. She was trying to catch one of the missing spots on the chopper that lying down, she would not reach. When she was able to move herself upright, she was surprised to see that Richard Carlisle had come into the hangar and was standing next to Tom Branson, only a couple of meters away.

Could he….? Would he have dared to touch her? Anna looked around for a possible explanation. It had to be him. He was not there a moment ago. There were no tables she could have bumped, nothing she could have touched on her own. Yet, Richard looked completely at ease. He was chatting with Tom about a configuration challenge within Marilyn and Sophia, something a customer needed that they currently were not offering. She expected that men who thrived on taking those sorts of risks, those who got an adrenaline rush, wouldn't hide themselves. They would be proud of their achievement, either smirking or standing their ground. Richard was not doing that. That made her doubt that it had happened at all, except she was certain she felt something. She could not have imagined it. She sighed with internal frustration. With nothing tangible to go on, she kept quiet and internalized her feelings. He would not get away with it. If he was the predator type, she would be on the lookout for him. Nobody should get away with that sort of behavior.

* * *

><p>Anna looked sore as she walked in, barely able to hold some files in her hands. "You have white paint in your hair, love." Elsie noticed as Anna leaned in to kiss Pops. "What do they have you doing in that place?"<p>

"I was painting a helicopter and it was a more physical activity than I anticipated. That's my excuse."

Anna lifted Pops chin and looked back and forth between her Godparents who were both wearing their matching gingham print robes at 7pm. It was way too early to be dressed for bed.

"Pops has a love bite under his jaw. What's your excuse?" Anna loved to toy with them and to see them squirm. They both flushed with embarrassment. That reaction meant that she had guessed correctly. They had been enjoying the pleasures of intimacy. She loved that about them. They were never too old to enjoy of each other. As a teen, growing up with them, it was slightly embarrassing, but having had a couple of boyfriends at university, she understood. She hoped that with whatever man she married, decades later, they would still crave one another. To find somebody, whom you connected with on an emotional and physical level was divine, and she hoped to someday partake in that joy. Her mind drifted to thoughts of Mr. Bates. She wondered if he was the frisky type.

"Never mind that," Pops said sternly, hoping to deflect the conversation to the discussion of Anna's research on the Bates case. "You look like you need your rest, so let's get on with it."

Anna laughed nervously. She was slightly ashamed about what she had been thinking. It was not right to think about a married man. She flushed him from her mind. "Alright, let's start. You two need your rest too."

Anna settled all the files in the dining room table. She had found something that she wanted to explore more. She wasn't sure it was an indication of anything, but it warranted a discussion.

She had looked at all of the files, mobile records and bank statements for each person. It was arduous, detailed work.

Jack had a penchant for buying jewelry and lingerie. At first Anna thought it was suspicious and a clear sign of his wooing somebody; maybe Vera. She knew he had a fiancé, as he talked about her constantly. That didn't mean anything. Then, Anna observed him keenly and just last Friday, his very bubbly and pretty girlfriend, one Miss Rose McClare, came by to fetch him. They were on each other instantly, not quite caring that they were in the compound's car park, visible to others. Anna was leaving for the day and happened upon them. After snogging for several minutes, yet still clutching on to each other, they were talking low, so nobody could overhear, but she did pick up on her thanking him for something he had just bought her. They looked a picture of happiness and hormones. There could be no crumbs left over for somebody else. Jack was off the hook.

Richard Carlisle was still an enigma. She had her mixed feelings about him after her questionable groping incident, but, his records were all clean. He had dinners and lunches at high scale establishments, but that was reasonable given the socio-economic status of their clientele. He couldn't very well reel in a client by taking them to lunch at a Nando's. He shopped at very fine establishments. He had hotel stays, but Anna could reference them all back to bona fide conventions and summits, all taking place outside of Yorkshire. Vera never attended any of those events, Mr. Bates had said. She could not go and him not know about it, thus, those hotel stays, as a point of liaison, were unlikely. His bank statements showed some sizable deposits, all from Bates Airlift. He gained commission on all new clients. Judging by the accumulation of money, the company was doing well with his efforts.

Evelyn Napier spent more than he earned, but he had a generous family stipend to add to his income. He was the heir to the Napier family seat and would be Viscount Branksome someday. That did not mean much anymore. They had very little of the wealth of their forefathers, and had sold most of their ancestral lands and homes since World War Two. Most of his family lived in the South East, beyond London, but he had liked Yorkshire and made his living, doing what he liked, which was flying. He had done his duty and enlisted, flying during the Afghanistan interventions, as would have been expected of anybody with his lineage. He had trained with helicopters and did not want to leave it. His expenses all reflected his background. He played polo as a hobby, attended all horse races and went to high profile events such as Ascot. He was married, and Anna sensed his relationship was dull. He did not talk much about his wife. This made him perfect, as a candidate for Vera's lover. He was not off the hook, but she just couldn't see it. Everything about Evelyn was about honor and duty and having an illicit affair did not seem in his nature.

Tom lived a frugal and sensible life. He was a member of many societies and unions. He had subscriptions to political magazines. He lived in a modest neighborhood and voided himself of many frivolities. He directed some of his money back home to help his widowed mother. That, plus his passionate words from earlier in the day, had her believing he could not be the one. With him, it was just the feeling that his ideals would not allow him. He needed a woman of substance, not a fling with somebody who stood for everything he did not. He was no longer under investigation.

"Earth to Anna….. Are you too tired to talk, love?" Elsie looked worried. Anna's mind had gone into her own world for a moment, analyzing everything she had done over the past days. She had kept silent for several minutes.

She was tired, and her muscles ached from the sudden physical toll painting would cause, but that was not it. She was just absorbed in the investigation.

"No, I am fine. I was just thinking some things through. I have reviewed a substantial amount of information and I have deleted two men from the list - Jack Ross and Tom Branson. Two of the others, Richard Carlisle and Evelyn Napier, are inconclusive and still under my watch, but there is something about Anthony Strallan that is not right."

Pops pulled the file to look at it. "What have you found?"

"He's not the alpha-male type. He's a sweet, but awkward man. I don't see Vera falling for him, but he is useful to her. Anthony Strallan and Vera Bates have some abnormal withdrawals, in similar time frames. I don't know if it means anything, but I cannot ignore it."

Anna had gone over Vera's expenses thoroughly. From what Mr. Bates had told her, after all operating expenses were taken care of; the excess revenue was deposited in an account in the company's name. He did not want all of that money distributed to him and Vera as owners, as it might be needed to operate the company in case there was a shortage. Still, this main operating account sent each one of them a deposit every month for their personal expenses. He was the one that managed the main account only. Vera often questioned him on it, stating that she should have oversight too, as he could manage the money unfairly. He always quieted her by stating that the account could be put to audit and he had nothing to be ashamed of. The monthly distributed amount was generous, and Vera would want for nothing…. Except, she barely had any money in her account. Their house and her car were paid for and Mr. Bates handled the payment of their utilities and insurance. Thus, the money she received was hers to use as she desired. Her credit card had her spending all over Yorkshire, but it never totaled the amount of her monthly distribution. Two monthly withdrawals were taken from that account, but there was no trace of where the money was going. It was odd.

Pops looked over the notes she had made. "It does look odd. Has Joe traced this money?"

"I can't ask him to trace it. The withdrawals are in the form of cashier's checks, made directly at the banks, payable to her. He would have to scan millions of bank records here in the UK, for any matching deposits made a few days after the withdrawal. It is a gargantuous task, one that I am not sure we need to undertake right now."

"She's right Charles. Our investigation on her is for infidelity and if that payment is being made to any of the men. If none of their bank accounts have it, we have no time to follow up on that."

He relented. "I suppose you are right." He sighed disconcerted. He liked to know what everything meant when they were on a case, whether it was relevant to them or not. "What does that have anything to do with him?" He pointed at Anthony's file.

"He's not receiving the funds, I can tell you. But he is making similar withdrawals, from the same bank, during similar time periods. He has substantially less funds than she. His withdrawal amounts are directly proportional to his salary as Financial Controller."

"That is odd," added Elsie. "Has he any family that he could be sending the money to?"

Anna nodded negatively. "He's never married and his parents have passed. He has siblings and nephews, but no children that could be tracked."

"What about any illegal vices?" Pops added, equally confused.

"Nothing that I am aware of at the moment. I was going to ask Mr. Bates if I could take my investigation a step further and have the office keys of his managers, as I would rather not break in. I think it is time to implant some devices. I want to listen to some of Anthony's calls and look at some of the files in his office. It wouldn't hurt to have Richard Carlisle's' either, just in case. I've avoided doing that with Vera because with her, we want to make sure everything is legal and our process court admissible, but, it may not hurt to listen in to some of her conversations to make sure I am going in the right direction."

"Be very careful, Anna." Elsie took her hand. "We really don't know these people and if they catch you, they could hurt you. I would never forgive myself." Pops looked equally mortified.

"What's brought this on?" She kissed each one of her Godparents on the cheek. "Of course I'll be careful. Both of you taught me well and we are not dealing with the mafia here. These are average people."

"Yes, dear, but they are average people whose lives you are prying into. Just, take every precaution, please."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean I have to take her?" Richard seemed taken aback by the premise.<p>

"Don't be coy Richard. We've talked about this before. Gwen has an interest in Sales. I would like her to be exposed to the actual job, maybe meet some clients. I want to see her potential." Mr. Bates knew Richard was trying to get out of it, just as he had managed before.

"Do you think that is wise? She is needed on the phones. What would you do without her?"

"We will manage. We do when she is on holiday. This is no different." He was tired of Richard's misogynist tendencies.

Richard looked pensive, or more likely, formulating additional excuses.

"Is it wise that her first exposure is to the "Oil and Gas Summit?" It is too risky, as I will be meeting with potential clients, including the team from CONOCO EXPLORATIONS. The piranhas from Helicopters UK will be there too. I can't babysit, fend off the competition and land the new account at the same time. Maybe we should think about it another time". He simulated deep thought. "I can take her with me to the Transport Summit held in a few months." He looked like he meant this offer to be taken seriously.

"Richard, why is this so difficult for you to accept? Gwen will go to this summit with you, none other." He stood his ground and crossed his arms. He would not back down.

"What is she supposed to do? Be my hostess?"

Before Bates could think to say something, Richard continued on that same thought.

"That's perfect! I will take her as my hostess and it will help give more VIP appeal to our stand."

"Richard, that is not what I want Gwen to do. I want her to be next to you and see you work. If you need a hostess, we'll get a hostess, but it will not be Gwen."

"The girl doesn't know anything about helicopters. I am being fair. She would be best served as a hostess."

"What do you mean she doesn't know anything about helicopters? She knows a great deal more than you give her credit for and she knows a great deal more than Thomas did when you took him last year."

Richard raised his eyebrows, clearly not convinced. John Bates would not tolerate this. Gwen was going to that meeting. He had promised her and she deserved it. He picked up the phone, startling Richard. He dialed a number without saying anything.

"Gwen, can you please come a moment?"

The redhead was there in less than a minute.

"Can you tell me the difference between Marilyn and Maggie and Grace?"

Gwen looked confused. She didn't understand what he wanted to know. "The difference- as in capacity? Or the difference aesthetically?"

"From your time working with us, tell me anything you have learned about these girls. There is no right or wrong answer."

Gwen took a deep breath.

"Maggie is a Schweitzer 300C. She is a comfortable two-seater, but can be configured for three. She flies at 86 knots and hovers at 10,800 feet. Her capacity is 36 gallons. Depending on the weight of the occupants, that would give us about 3.5 to 4 hours of flying in average weather with no headwinds. She is Mr. Bates' private aircraft and has only been used on two emergency client runs in the past."

She breathed. Mr. Bates looked pleased. Richard did not.

"Marilyn is a MD600 NOTAR, just like Ava. It is designed for a two pilot operation, but can be managed as an individual as well for short runs. The capacity is for a total of six passengers, plus crew. She flies at 185 knots, much faster than Maggie, and can climb up to 18,700 feet. We use this as our Executive service aircraft and have the configuration with luxury interiors for our distinguished clientele. She carries 70 gallons and depending on occupant and cargo weight, can fly between 5 and 6 hours.

Mr. Bates could see Richard becoming more uncomfortable as Gwen went on. Her face reflected a bit of confusion, not really knowing why she was being asked such a question, but continued, surely comforted by Mr. Bates smile.

"Grace is a Sikorsky 92. She is our workhorse, together with Sophia. Without them, we could not do our oil platform runs. She requires two pilots, but can seat 19 passengers when configured correctly. She flies at 165 knots, not as fast as Marilyn or Ava, but she can outperform with the amount of cargo and passengers she can carry. She can reach 14,000 feet and carry a combined weight of 26,500 pounds. She can go up to 10 hours, given the right conditions. Bates Airlift is the only helicopter company in England that uses this chopper giving us a significant advantage over our competitors. Her safety features are our premium selling point, and the amount of accidents recorded is among the lowest for all helicopter types. You've not asked me about Audrey or Brigitte. They are Bell 412's. Should I continue?"

"No, Thank you Gwen. That was brilliant."

She grinned, very pleased with herself.

"I've learned everything I can about them. I love working in them and around them." She still did not know what this was about, but was pleased that Mr. Bates had liked her answer.

"Richard has something he wants to say to you." He turned to look at his Sales Manager. The man was not expecting to say anything to Gwen, so he had caught him off guard. He said nothing for a minute. Mr. Bates helped him along. "Richard, what were we just talking about?"

Richard shrugged and with a tone full of regret, addressed the young woman. "Mr. Bates would like you to come with me to next week's Oil and Gas summit to help me at the Bates Airlift stand.

Her eyes opened as wide saucers, not expecting to hear such a thing from him, ever. But he had not invited her; he had said that Mr. Bates wanted it. Was this a real invitation?

"So, am I going?" The redheaded asked with a guarded enthusiasm. It wouldn't do to get excited if that was not the case.

Richard finally answered. "Yes, you will come with me."

* * *

><p>John looked at the IPhone in his hands and opened the twitter icon. He had to tweet Anna and this would be his first ever attempt. Just last night, he had opened the drop box app as she had shown him. She had written several notes regarding advances in her Godparent's pursuit of Vera and that they were getting closer, and then explained to him that she felt it was time to access the offices of each one of his Managers. She suggested she might implant some listening devices and go through some files, but did not want to specify who yet. She promised to maintain a high level of ethics and she would not take anything, making them suspicious. As always, she would perform such activities in the early hours of the morning or late at night when nobody was there.<p>

He pondered whether that was wise. If she were caught, that could jeopardize his whole plan and he needed to be rid of Vera definitely. He decided to trust her. She and her Godparents were professional and they knew what they were doing. Although the investigation was taking longer than he had hoped, Mr. Carson asked him when they first met if he was willing to be patient. He was. He wanted this done right. Anna was very competent. She was also very beautiful. Maybe it was better if the investigation went slow. If it moved any faster, he wouldn't have her around as much and that would leave him sad; sadder than he cared to admit to anyone. He still didn't know why, but she brightened his day just by seeing her. She also gave him a sense of security and that his freedom was just around the corner.

So, now, he was resolved to communicate as instructed and answer her back. He had hidden the requested keys in a metal tin in the refrigerator. IT was towards the back, hidden by the containers of half-eaten take away food left behind by his employees. It was easy to find, but not simple enough to be discovered without knowing what you were looking for. He couldn't just put them on her desk. Where was the fun in that? He wanted to be sly too and play her game. That meant learning twitter. He thought it was for teenagers when she first mentioned it and felt a little odd. He was over forty. Did people in his age bracket do this too? He learned they did when he spent the better part of the evening reading through tweets and looking up some of his idols. He was amazed and entertained for hours. He wanted to follow some of them, but knew that if he did, he might compromise his identity. He could do that later, if he was still amused enough by it, when this was all over. For now, he would remain with the people she had selected as they were interesting enough. They were right up his alley too – a respected journalist, the civil aeronautics association, aviation periodicals, some key players in the oil industry, some of his helicopter manufacturers, some noted authors. It was a well-rounded list. Was that a part of her job? Knowing the people he would follow? Learning his likes? She understood him better than he thought she would in such a short time - better than Vera ever did after 18 years and he had known Anna for less than two months. He wanted to believe it was all business, all the time. She was younger and should not be interested in this married, soon to be divorced old man, but their few meetings had told him that was not the case. He felt that with each moment they shared, they were getting closer. They were drawn to each other. After their pub meeting and her gentle flirting, he suspected it was not all business for her either.

The little keyboard was too small for his thick fingers and he typed slowly to avoid any mistakes. He had thus far written – THE KEY TO A MAN'S – when he accidentally hit the send message. Did he really just post that? He went to look onto the account and realized that he did. His message was not complete. She was going to think he was a moron. Bollocks! He yelped, annoyed at himself. Where was the button to delete or edit? He couldn't find one. He should have read the instructions and the FAQ files before he started. He did not have time for that now. He needed to get the message out now and he would have to write it again.

He took his time to avoid the same mistake. He managed to write – THE KEY TO A MAN'S HEART IS THROUGH- when he repeated the mistake. His not so dainty fingers botched his second attempt and the SEND key was accidentally pressed. He looked at his timeline and yet again, the evidence of his incompetence was there for the world to see. Not only would she think he was technically challenged, but so would the other followers she had managed to garner for him.

He would not let this foolish app defeat him and he started slowly, carefully, avoiding the infernal corner where the SEND button was situated. This time, he finally made it.

THE KEY TO A MAN'S HEART IS THROUGH THE STOMACH.

That should get her to think about food and where it was stored. Was that too forward, though? Would she think he was sending out hints? Blimey. He had not thought it through. He could have used any other analogy that mentioned key, but it was too late.

* * *

><p>Anna was amused as she read Mr. Bates' tweet attempts. How precious, she thought. He had tweeted three times until he finally had it right. This was her fault. She had not done a good enough job when she taught him, as he had not deleted his prior attempts. She would have to send him a link with instructions. Still, his persistence was adorable and it endeared him to her even more. Even his choice of words was charming.<p>

THE KEY TO A MAN'S HEART IS THROUGH THE STOMACH.

This was obviously his way of reporting the whereabouts of the keys she had requested. She wouldn't dare believe that he was giving her hints on how to conquer his heart. When she had relayed the communication strategy, that they would use twitter, he had raised an eyebrow, questioning her. He had not said it in words, but, he did not need to. He was doubting either his ability, or felt too old for it. She wondered if he would follow through and was glad that he had attempted it and taken on the challenge. He was a good man, and if she were asked to provide an opinion, would gladly say that he was not old at all. He did have more years than she did, but that made him more interesting. He was a real man. She sighed to herself and lamented the situation. If they had met at another time and place, they could have been good together.

She brushed that idea from her mind. The moment she had a break, she would set off in the direction of the kitchen. She was sure to find the keys there.

It was the day before the great event and Ava was coming along satisfactorily. William still had some detailing to do. For the most part, Anna had helped with whatever she could. Tom had enlisted her help with Audrey again. He had finished the complete revision of the electric and hydraulic systems and was now working to test and re-gauge all of avionic components. While he worked on the altimeter, speed and fuel systems, he instructed Anna to remove all the seats from their tracks and explained how to clean the leather, how to oil the tracks, deep clean the flooring and vacuum the interiors. It was all back breaking work, but she enjoyed it also. She went from working on the interiors, to helping William paint the odd bits on Ava. She did not have a single free moment.

It was during a paint session, when she was stenciling the name of the dragon on the front, as William and Tom attended to another departure, that she saw him again. Working at the hangar the past three days meant that seeing him was difficult. She walked through the office in the morning, greeting everybody she encountered, but one day he had his door closed, and another day he had not arrived yet. Their weekly staff meeting, the one she had been anticipating, had been cancelled, in lieu of a planning meeting for Haley's Wish. With the amount of work due at the hangar, only Tom went in representation of the three of them. She couldn't protest, it all made sense, but that did not mean her heart had not felt it. She had been anticipating that meeting for several days.

He had his arms full and she stood to help him.

"Mr. Bates, let me help you." She reached him quickly and stretched out her arms, hoping to help with the load. She realized that might be foolish. He was a strong man and she a petite woman. Worse, she might hurt his male pride at inferring he could not handle it.

"It looks heavier than it seems, Anna. It's just a little bulky. No need to worry." He reached a table and set down the packages. He didn't appear to be insulted by her offer.

"Tom or William could have carried that for you. You should have called."

He looked at her with a smile. "They are busy with the departures, the dragon paint work and Audrey's overhaul. They don't need me adding to their burdens." He sorted through the packages until he came across the one he was looking for. "I can easily walk across the tarmac with a few parcels. I don't need to be waited on". He turned to look at her and added a statement that almost made her lose control. "…. and, it was an excuse to see you."

If Anna had not been leaning on the table when he said that, she felt she might have fainted and made a fool of herself. Did he really just say those words? Had he been waiting for the moment they would be busy to catch her here alone?

John looked on as he saw Anna flush at his words. He hadn't meant to be so bold, so vocal in his desire to seek her out. He had missed her presence in the office. He had to do something about it. He waited until everybody was busy with a full departure to walk unaided to the hangar. He knew she would be here. Somebody had to deliver the costumes the team would wear for tomorrow's event and why shouldn't it be him?

Anna was just as bold. "I am glad you came. It has been too long since we last saw each other." There was a hint of flirtation in her voice. She said it as she looked directly at him.

His eyes crinkled at the corners, pleased with her words.

"This is for you." He observed her for a moment. She was wearing the mechanic jumpsuit uniform. It was functional and non-fashionable, but she looked damn sexy in it, even with sensible shoes and her hair pulled back. She filled it quite nicely; like he had never seen before.

Anna reached for the package held out for her and as she took it, their hands touched. He felt an internal shiver run the length of his body. She did not pull away and neither did he. It was barely their knuckles grazing, not anything more suggestive or meaningful, but it was enough to alight a fire within them. They looked at each other as the energy between them built to a dizzying level. Both their hearts felt they would leap out of their skins. They might have stayed there a long time, maintaining contact and looking at each other, safely hidden from view by Audrey's angle within the hangar, had it not been for Brigitte, sitting on the tarmac and ready for departure. They started her noisy and windy rotors and it was enough to startle them and make them aware of their setting. Any moment now, they would be joined by Tom or William.

They stepped apart, Anna keeping the package in her hand.

"What is it?" she managed to ask. She finally looked at it.

"It is your costume for tomorrow. Call Gwen and she will fill you in on what you need to do."

A scurrying in the background alerted them that they were no longer alone.

"Boss, I saw you come in. Can I help you?" Tom came around the corner of the hangar to catch him and Anna chatting. They now looked a picture of composure.

"Nothing to worry about Tom, just the costumes I told you about at the meeting. I've given Anna hers. Yours and William are right there." He pointed at the table behind him.

"Thanks a million for bringing them down. We are drowning here." Tom was sincere in his appraisal of Mr. Bates.

"I know, and I didn't want you to waste any more time by coming to get them. I also don't want to interrupt you any further, so, I shall be on my way."

He patted Tom on the shoulder, smiled at Anna and made his way out.

* * *

><p>Anna stood, bedecked in the costume she had been provided, in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom. She was supposed to be a villager and cheer the little girl on as soon as she arrived at the compound to board her flight tomorrow. Gwen had apparently sourced the outfits from a costume shoppe, she didn't explain where, but they would all be dressed tomorrow. In her enthusiasm, Gwen commented that she had let Anna have the prettiest outfit, partly because it was in her size and she felt it would look odd on Phyllis and Sarah, and because she was thrilled to be going to the Oil and Gas summit in London and that had already been a perk this week. Since Anna had put so much effort into the painting of Ava, she deserved to look her best.<p>

She flittered around, watching the folds of green fabric twirl, wondering what shoes she could wear with this. It would have to be either the beige open toed-flats, or the brown colored gladiator style sandals. Nothing else in her ample inventory remotely worked and she wasn't even convinced by these two choices. She raised her hands and watched the fabric from the sleeves, flared from the elbows, fall down around her, exposing her arms. There was golden trim in all the seams of the entire dress and an intricate lattice pattern down the front. It was really quite pretty. She guessed it was supposed to be medieval, but she imagined that real village women wore more simple outfits, nothing as detailed as this.

She heard the door to their flat unlock. Mary must be coming home from her interview. She pulled her hair up and wondered how she might prepare it tomorrow. Maybe a braid across the top?

Mary popped her head in the door. She was about to say something, but the sight of Anna wearing such an outfit stumped all thoughts away from her.

"Mary, you're back. How was your interview?" She turned to focus on Mary.

"She cancelled on me. What is that?" Her finger waived up and down, referring to the costume.

"I am wearing it tomorrow. Remember I told you about the Make a Wish Foundation child?" Mary seemed to remember, as her eyes rolled in recognition. "What do you mean she cancelled?"

"She did. She left me a message on my mobile, with no explanations, and no alternatives. I returned the call, but she has not done the same. I am not sure what to do."

Mary had been trying to get an appointment with the Administrators of Highclere Castle, the Crawley's ancestral home. She wanted to work there, in any capacity, as she hoped to someday become the Estate Manager. It was now run by the Government and her family could lay no claims to it, but she knew more about the history of that place than anybody on their staff. She had books, photographs, registers – boxes full of documents and historical information, all left to her by her Grandmother, the last family member to live within the house. As a University project, she had created detailed family trees and had put together the information of the many dozens of servants that used to live there as well. She deserved to be at the helm, if even as an employee, but, she could not get the current Administrator to pay attention to her. It was not that she wanted to change anything, she just wanted to enhance the lore of the place and to make sure that the antiques and their valuable trust –owned heirlooms were handled correctly. She had finally managed to make an appointment, but as she had explained, it had been cancelled.

"Oh Mary, I am so sorry. Perhaps something happened. That does not mean that all is lost." Anna turned to give her a quick hug which Mary received with much appreciation. "Will you call her again?"

Mary sighed. "Yes, of course. I will not give up. I will run Highclere Castle come hell or high water, within the next ten years. Just wait and see."

Anna smiled, Mary had a lot of tenacity and Anna did not doubt that one bit.

"So what are you doing with your hair?" Mary asked as she took Anna's long blonde tresses in her hands.

"I don't know….Maybe, a long braid, done at the side, then coming round to frame my head?" She simulated what she meant by bringing her hair around her top.

Mary winced at the thought. " I think that is more of a 'Helga in the Alps' hairdo. Why don't you let me practice? I saw something beautiful on the telly - one of the Game of Thrones characters with your same hiar color had several interweaving braids. That would go well with this."

Mary was not daft. She did want to help Anna with a better coiffure, but, while she had Anna sitting down, she would ask her questions about John Bates. This was the perfect stress-free setting to get the truth from her. Maybe it was nothing, but if both she and her father had the same inkling when they saw them together last week, it was worth asking.

After a few minutes, Anna relaxed as Mary started a masterpiece on her head. Mary sensed it was time to start asking questions.

"I will make you look very pretty for tomorrow. You'll be a star." Mary grinned as her expert hands pulled and separated multiple strands of Anna's golden hair.

"Well, don't make me too pretty; I don't want to upstage Haley. She's supposed to be the star." Anna kept still. Moving meant her hair would be tugged and she wanted to avoid any physical pain.

"There's room for two of you. I'll make you look so pretty, John Bates will not be able to resist you, if that's what you want." There she said it. She looked straight into the mirror to gauge Anna's reaction.

"Wha-What do you mean? Why would John Bates want to look at me?" Anna had flushed and her eyes had opened wide with horror. She had moved an inch, startled, and it cost her a bit of discomfort as she felt her hair pulled.

"I don't know. You tell me." Mary's lips twisted to the side, inquisitively, while her eyes asked the question again wordlessly.

Anna was silent a moment, caught between the agony of lying or telling the truth; being caught and not knowing what to do. What could she even say? She felt something for him, she would be lying if said she didn't, but she could not process her feelings about that. He was married and he was a client. Yet, she was sure he felt something too. Today at the hangar proved it. Their knuckles collided and neither of them pulled away for several minutes. It was a divine moment for both of them.

Anna looked up and faced Mary's reflection in the mirror. Mary had stopped working, yet still had her hair twisted and turned around her hands. She still had no clue what to say and she was not often left without words. Perhaps, this was the moment of truth, when she should stop fooling herself.

Mary commented further. "Anna, your silence and your shocked face is relaying a lot more information to me than you probably intended to share. I don't mean to pry, but you and your welfare are important to me and both Father and I noticed you and John very close last week – both of you were too familiar for me to ignore it and I know you well enough to realize that there is something going on. You are working for him. I don't know how deep you are in right now; that is your business, but, are you sure a liaison with him is wise? I only ask because I care."

Mary's face reflected deep concern, enough to finally prompt Anna to answer.

"There is no liaison. He is married and he is my client and neither of us has forgotten that."

Anna's face was still laced with agony. Mary sensed that there was more than Anna wanted to say. She kept what she had braided in one hand, yet let some strands loose so that she could put her arm on Anna's shoulder, giving her strength.

"But….there is more, right?"

"Yes". Anna relented. "I feel drawn to him. I can't explain it and it is not right." Emotions started to bubble to the surface and Anna felt unshed tears accumulating in her eyes. She had never allowed herself to ponder more than the time it took to do a quick reflection. She often put thinking about the reality of their situation far from her mind, too busy with the dueling priorities of both jobs to give herself time to properly analyze what was going on.

"Have you two talked about this?"

"No, not at all. What am I supposed to say? You are married and I like you?" That last part was said facetiously and she auto corrected herself. "….I don't think so." The tears started to come down and once they did, Anna couldn't stop. It was like a dam had burst through. "I wasn't even sure if he liked me, but lately, I have started to believe that he is drawn to me too. I am worried that I will make a mess of things. I don't want to lose control."

Mary finally abandoned the whole hair project to come around and kneel in front of Anna. She never expected this level of emotion when she started her questions that evening. She took both of Anna's hands in hers.

"I am worried too, but not because I think you will do something foolish. I am worried that you are getting yourself into a situation that cannot be undone easily. John Bates is married, although not in the full sense of the meaning, but you could jeopardize the whole process. Maybe you should modify the investigation and leave the company? That would put you farther away, until everything is solved."

"I can't Mary. I can't leave him now. I promised I would find the proof of her infidelity and I promised I would find out who she was being unfaithful with. We are very close. I just have to keep a level head and remember that no matter my feelings, my actions can threaten everything. I'll have to be more careful to avoid him in the future."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for the lovely response to this story. I appreciate everybody that has read and reviewed, as I love to hear what you think. I am frightfully bad at responding and will do so as soon as I get back on home turf. Oh and I just realized that my last two chapters have been exceedingly long. I hope that isn't a problem. **


	7. Make a Wish

**Hello dear readers! This is a slightly different submission and does not contain the elements of my previous chapters. It is all Anna and Bates, and Haley's wish. As it is a fantasy, I wanted to leave that bit of the story as a standalone. I tried to make it as creative as possible, but, in the spirit of full disclosure, I will say that I have never watched any Harry Potter, LOTR, or such fantasy movies before (Gasp! I know…), so, I was grasping at straws here. I hope my effort is not too dull or confusing. Cherry88 helped me considerably with some great tips.**

**I also borrowed a couple of lines from Julian Fellowes. **

* * *

><p>Ava looked marvelous. Anna took a step back to admire their handiwork. William was amazing in how he had transposed the drawing onto the chopper. He had made it look incredible. They had discussed how to incorporate third dimensional features that would make it look more realistic, possibly highlighting certain aspects of a dragon's anatomy. Protruding wings, the ridges on its back, pointy ears and an elongated snout would all have been nice, but that would not be safe as they could possibly interfere with the navigational systems and they desisted. The detail, in the drawings, then, needed to distinguish the notable parts of a dragon. The mouth was open, as a necessity. It was painted from both sides leading up to where the glass of the windshield started. The front glass was coated with red and orange translucid paint that simulated the color of flames. It was colorful enough for it to be noticed, but not obtrusive for whoever would pilot the chopper. Considerable effort was involved in making sure that it looked like the dragon was spewing fire. The rest of the body was outlined within the round form of the helicopter, with the wings extended upwards, taking advantage of the height. The legs were painted at the bottom part, underneath the entrance, and sideways, how a real bird in flight might look. The eyes and ears looked just like the drawing. The tail was highlighted along the back, leading to the rear rotor. The name of the dragon, Saphira, was written in the front, beneath the glass. Anna still couldn't believe that she had played a part in putting it together. Her small contribution made her proud.<p>

She came early that morning, with the rest of the team, to decorate the grounds of the compound. The illusion of a dragon awaiting its master needed to start from the moment she entered Bates Airlift. They had unlocked the side gate, to avoid coming through the office. It would shatter the dream to amble amid the dark corporate carpeting and stodgy desks. Instead, a huge sign at the entrance read "Welcome Haley – Saphira awaits!" As a medieval illusion, Tony and Evelyn had donned era appropriate sentinel costumes and stood guard at the entrance. They had laid out the red carpet for the short distance to the dragon-chopper behind them. Balloons with her name lined the entire walk.

Groomed and styled by Mary, Anna had worn her outfit, together with Daisy, Sarah, Phyllis, Thomas and Gwen. As villagers, they would be wishing her well on her quest. They had a costume for Vera too, but she refused to change into it, explaining that she did not like to wear them when they were of the hired kind, citing poor hygienic maintenance by the costume owners. Even Thomas snarled at her this time. This was about a little girl, suffering from a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that was very aggressive, not about vanity or comfort. Vera was still there, though, sticking out like a fly in milk, in her modern apparel. She stood next to Sarah who grunted the entire time, complaining about the itchiness of the fabrics. For all her sourness, she maintained her composure. Anna caught a bit of a smile forming every now and then and it warmed her heart to think that Sarah might actually have a heart too. Tom and William dressed also, as men of the cloth, looking like bona fide friars. Richard excused himself, explaining that he needed to meet with a client and could not change in time to look presentable. He stayed inside with Anthony who was very embarrassed and spoke some nonsense regarding his age not being appropriate for the festivities. Still, the majority of the office pulled together to create the fantasy. The only other team members who did not participate that morning were piloting aircraft and far away. There was true team spirit.

Anna hadn't seen him yet, but she knew he was here. She had heard him a little while back, towards the entrance. She was too far from where he was, much nearer to the dragon, and could not get a good luck at him. He was supposed to be wearing armour, like a knight, mimicking what Haley would be wearing. He would be a part of the entire fantasy and he would be piloting the helicopter. Maybe that was a good thing- not seeing him. The time she spent with Mary yesterday had helped put her situation in perspective. She had fallen for him, but she was at a critical moment where she could fall back, or be reeled in further. It was important for her to keep her distance and maintain a much more detached relationship with him if she was to do her job effectively.

Anna heard a commotion and turned to see what was happening. "She's here," they heard Tony yell, alerting them to get into pretend mode.

Anna had learned from Gwen that besides Mr. Bates, Haley's entourage would include her aunt who was also a registered nurse and her caregiver, plus somebody from the Foundation. She imagined it would be Mr. Edmunds who had come to organize the event. Ava, now known as Saphira, would whisk them away to Highclere Castle, were another elaborate event was being staged by volunteers. The girl would be rescuing a princess, who happened to be her older sister Celeste, from the evil witch and dragon slayer, Malevola. They would be joined on the ground by Prince Fortius, who needed to get to his bride. Haley would fight Malevola's army to let the lovers come together. Anna thought that was adorable. The girl did not want to be a princess herself, rather, the rescuer and a powerful knight. It sounded delightful and was a bit of a parallel to the young girl's life. Any cancer patient was a fighter, attempting to slay other intangible demons.

Anna arranged the flowers in the basket she was carrying, as she turned to Gwen who was by her side. "This is all so lovely."

Gwen agreed. "It is a treat to be able to participate in a child's dream and make them happy, if even just for a little moment. How lucky we are."

Music started playing from the maintenance bay, trumpeters coming over the sound system that the mechanics had rigged to play as she started moving along. Anna was amused. She had not expected the music. It helped her get into village girl mode and the excitement was building among them. There was a positive energy all around.

Evelyn and Tony knelt and bowed their heads in reverence as the little girl passed them. Haley was a miniature reincarnation of Joan of Arc, albeit a wrapped head that signaled an obvious absence of hair. She had bright blue eyes and a kind smile. She was missing a tooth at the front, making her look sweet and innocent. Sweetness notwithstanding, she waived a plastic sword in front of her, intent on starting battle, letting her fierceness shine through. On the outside of her armour was a strapped case that came across her left side. Not being an expert, Anna surmised that it was an oxygen canister as it was connected all the way up to her nostrils, fastened somehow behind her head. She could not see the lines of the plastic tubing needed to provide the necessary supplement. They were expertly ensconced within the outfit.

Besides the little girl, she noticed a pair of sturdy legs and followed them up until she was contemplating him. Mr. Bates was beside her. The contrast between the small girl and tall man was a sight to see, but they both looked very authentic. Her knees went weak. Mr. Bates looked intensely captivating and incredibly handsome. She could think of a million things to say about him right now, and none would come close to reality. His matching suit of armour, made his stature ever more imposing. The metallic plates of muted aluminum should have been dull, but they were shiny, reflecting in the sun. They created the illusion of an aura about him, as if he were an angelic being. His hair was messed from the headpiece he was carrying. He had stubble, purposely left from this morning to give him a more masculine and weathered look. Staying detached was near impossible when he came to the office like that. It was not just his physique. The knowledge that he was doing good gave him confidence and he looked more attractive for it. His soul was on display for all to see.

"Lady Edwina, it's you!" Anna was startled out of her daydreaming by the excited voice of the child. She was calling out for someone. Anna reacted by kneeling in reverence and tossing a handful of the flowers from her basket. Everybody around her did as well, paying homage to the brave warrior girl. Anna couldn't see who she was addressing since she had remained on the floor, looking down. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder from the play sword. She looked up as Haley addressed her.

"Loyal Lady Edwina, keeper of the faith, mistress of divine spirit. You have shown yourself to me as I go to battle the evil men of the Gant. This is a good sign. I bless you and thank you. You must come with me as I do battle and see to our glorious victory, as we fight to liberate Princess Celeste from treacherous hands."

It was a lot for the little girl to say, but she said it with conviction and character. Who was Lady Edwina? Mmmm... Certainly not this costumed private investigator trying to pass off as village girl. This wasn't part of the explanation that Gwen had provided. Anna looked up and looked around. Everybody's eyes were on her. They were imploring her to play along. What was she supposed to answer? Was this for real? Haley was actually asking her to go? She sought all the creative words she could conjure under such pressure. She bowed her head again, and responded.

"Mistress Haley, defender of the downtrodden," she stuttered for a second, trying to find something else to say that made sense, "protector of virtue and freedom. I am humbled by your assessment. I am Lady Edwina in your eyes, but, I merit not such a distinguished name. If I were such a Lady, it would be an honor to accompany you into battle, but, as you can see, I am not more than a humble village girl. I seek not to be in your way, while you seek to liberate Princess Celeste."

She looked up again and the little girl was smiling.

"You are Lady Edwina and I cannot do battle without you. Sir Gallant and I bid you to come with us and join the fight. We need your magical powers to immobilize the Gant army."

Anna made a desperate face, unaware of how to proceed. Behind the little girl, faces and gestures were being made between Mr. Edmunds, the caregiver and Mr. Bates who all realized that Haley was serious. She wanted Anna to come. They were deliberating without using any words, not wanting to interrupt the child. Who was Sir Gallant? flashed through Anna's mind, as the child took her sword and tapped her other shoulder.

"Rise Lady Edwina."

She did as was requested; begging with her eyes to be told what should come next. She looked at Gwen beside her, hoping for a hint, but the redhead's expression was just as dumbfounded as hers. She had no answers for her, so, she stood up. Were they really expecting her to come along? Did she even fit in the helicopter? Wait. Helicopter….. She suddenly shivered. She had never been in one. She wanted to fly in one since the day she arrived on the compound, truth be told, but she needed to prepare mentally for it. There would be no time for that.

Their gesturing came to a close and they seemed to come to some agreement. Mr. Bates spoke.

"Mistress Haley, if Lady Edwina's powers are necessary for battle, then she can come along if she wishes so. If we force her, the powers that she holds may become weak and hinder our fight. We should ask her if she would like to come."

"Thank you Sir Gallant."

The penny dropped. He was Sir Gallant? He was certainly chivalrous and gentlemanly enough to merit the title.

Haley broke out of character momentarily. "Please, Lady Edwina!" She bellowed at Anna with imploring eyes and she had to think quickly. This would put her close to Mr. Bates when she was resolved to stay away from him. She looked at Vera, who was sneering at her. The cold woman did not look pleased at the scene unfolding before her. It was a bad idea, one she was sure she would come to regret, but there was no way she would say no to a child in need.

"It will be my pleasure."

* * *

><p>The team was still huddled together, watching as the entourage, now including Anna, boarded the helicopter.<p>

Sarah was livid. The twat intern had managed to get herself invited to the soiree. Who knew what she did to accomplish it. This could not have been a coincidence. She must have manipulated Mr. Bates, or Mr. Edmunds of the Foundation. She was devious and deceitful like that, willing to do anything to get her way. Sarah did not necessarily want to go; she wasn't envious of the part she would play in the fantasy. She was more upset that out of the entire team, it had been her, who, as the newest member of Bates Airlift, should have been working. She should have been scrubbing the grime out of the choppers, as she was surely not capable of anything else while she was assigned to the Mechanics. Over-achiever Gwen or mousy Phyllis would have been preferable, instead, she got a day to play around and spend time with the boss. She would give him an earful, no doubt. The woman would say or do anything to convince him of her goodness and of everybody else's faults. What a bitch.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Thomas exclaimed, out loud, when he saw Sarah turn red beside him. He wasn't discreet at all, earning the attention of everybody around them.

Sarah loved an audience and felt mighty important to be the one to voice what she assumed everybody was thinking. As confidently as she could and without a hint of doubt, commented, "All of a sudden, little miss nobody is the queen of the show. I wonder who she slept with to make it happen."

Vera turned red, trying to suppress her ire of having been supplanted and knowing exactly what Sarah was implying. It had not occurred to her. She was not fond of the annoying girl, but had not felt threatened by her until this moment. Not that she cared if her worthless husband took on a distraction. That would be beneficial to her in the long run. Phyllis' eyes widened in horror at the implication, not quite believing that Sarah would have said such a thing. She said nothing. Her reaction, as always, was to flee, not wanting to get involved in any such situation. Thomas was left speechless beside Tony and Evelyn who looked quite uncomfortable to be listening to such idle gossip. They had chatted with Anna before and she didn't seem like a tigress, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting victim.

Gwen was outraged. Had Anna been there, she would have been proud of the defense that the redhead took on. "Hold your tongue Sarah. You were just as much a witness to the scene that unfolded as I was. Anna did not have to sleep with anyone. She was clearly startled to be singled out by Haley."

"So, you say, but why her? Why not you? Why not Mrs. Bates?" Sarah was very cocky and would not let it go. "It should have been somebody else."

"I went over the entire script with Mr. Edmunds and Mr. Bates yesterday. I spoke with him early this morning. There were no changes until the very moment they happened… Why Anna? Did you see how great she looked with that hairdo and the dress? None of us put the same amount of effort like she did. Surely she caught the little girl's attention and it was all Haley's doing. Did you not see Mr. Bates and Mr. Edmunds surprised faces?" Before Sarah, or anybody could comment, she continued on her defense rampage. "If I were her, I'd want Anna to come along too. She looks like that Khaleesi character from the Thrones show and fits right in to the fantasy." She paused, trying to be respectful. "Why not Mrs. Bates?" She turned to look at her boss. She did not want to be sacked for saying something inappropriate. "Haley would have to answer that, but, I think, maybe the nice dress you are wearing did not go well with the fantasy."

Gwen was pleased at the reactions her words had on her colleagues. Nobody continued on with the train of thought that Sarah had voiced. Mrs. Bates, though, still looked peeved. She said nothing, which was not normal for her, but turned quickly towards Tony, wrapping her arms around his shoulder. That was her way of putting an end to the conversation.

"Whatever….." Sarah huffed in annoyance. "I am going back to work. I, not unlike her, have a million things to do."

* * *

><p>John looked on as William and Tom acted out their parts, pretending to bless the "dragon" chopper. Tom held one hand to the front glass, while he made the sign of the cross with the other. William had his hands held together in prayer with his head bent down. They were quite amusing in the way they went about it. There was nothing remotely saintly about them. Haley was grinning and emitting girlish giggles as the pair continued to posture in their roles, not ceasing at their antics, even when all occupants were already aboard "Saphira". John had made sure the little girl was strapped in, to his left, on the available co-pilot side. He had placed the headphones over her ears to protect her from the noise the blades would make.<p>

He swiveled his head to gaze at the rest of the occupants and make sure they were all set before turning on the rotor engine. His passengers, including Anna, appeared terrified. She shared a look with him that he couldn't place immediately, but slowly realized it was trust. She was putting her life in his hands. He would do whatever he could to make her comfortable, given the odd situation that placed her there. This was not part of the plan and he could never have anticipated that this would have happened, but deep inside, he was thrilled. A part of him was elated that she would share in this moment that meant so much to him. It was another opportunity to see her outside the office too, especially now that she had limited their interactions to twitter and dropbox. Just being around her made him happy and he needed a lot of that in his life right now.

"Let's talk safety. Are you all buckled in?" They all nodded their heads. "I see you are all wearing your headphones. Once I start the engine, it will be too loud to talk, so, I will go over the rules now. Saphira is a world class dragon." He turned to wink at Haley. "You should not be scared or feel unsafe. The doors are locked. It will be very noisy and I will not be able to hear you unless you yell. If you have any problems, tap me on the shoulder lightly. We can encounter turbulence, so please remain seated with your seat belt securely fastened. There are snacks and drinks in this mini cooler. If you feel sick, there are sickness bags in this compartment. If we face any emergencies and I have to land the airplane, the doors will unlock automatically. If I am incapacitated, please do not attempt to open them until you can physically see the rotor blades stop moving. When we land, I will open the doors for you. Do you have any questions?"

All of the occupants nodded again, too fearful to speak. He couldn't help but think of how brave Anna was. He had been riding in helicopters since he trained as a soldier and loved the sensation and freedom. He was well aware, though, that it took some time to get used to and others would not share in his passion for them. She was gripping the seat, not sure of what to expect. Maybe he should reassure them.

"Enjoy the ride, the day is lovely and the view will be spectacular. It should take us no more than 15 minutes to get to Highclere. Once there, we will circle the castle to let the Gant army know we are here and I will hover a few seconds at a safe distance from the highest point. They must see the flying dragon if we are to instill any fear in them. It will also be a sign for Princess Celeste that we are on our way to rescue her. Once we land, I will give the signal when it is clear to depart Saphira and start the battle." He turned to Haley. "Are we ready?"

"Ready!" she squealed. Mr. Bates turned on the rotors and they were off.

* * *

><p>Anna had never been as scared and as mutually excited in her entire life. The rush of adrenaline was making her feel alive. She wondered what other surprises were in store for her. Was she supposed to fight too? When Haley insisted she come along, she believed somebody would be the voice of reason and determine that it was not possible, that it had not been planned that way. There was no such control, no voice to stop the plan for moving forward. Why her? What had the little girl seen in her to ask her to come along? It was touching and heartwarming to have inspired a little girl without doing much. It felt good. She didn't know why, but she would do all possible in this space of time allowed to them to make her happy.<p>

Gwen had informed her that Haley had been in and out of treatment centers in the last two years. She had deteriorated in the last six months. Her dream was to live out her favorite bedtime story, as invented by her father, and told to her repeatedly when she was younger. Anna wished she had been a part of the entire planning meeting. She felt cheated by not know what to expect or how to make the little girl's experience even better.

Resigned to her ignorance on the matter, she tried to look out the window. She had been on airplanes before. She visited her uncles in California and New York when she turned 18, visited Paris with Mary when they finished their University work and had done a quick Ibiza weekend with an ex-boyfriend a couple of years ago. She was not an expert, but this felt very different. Besides the massive amount of noise, you were more aware of your surroundings. They were closer to the ground and she could make out all sorts of building and landmarks from this altitude. It was surreal, but she decided that it was fun. It was less wobbly than she had expected too. She had imagined that the ride would be bumpy and that they would be tossed about.

The stability of the flight was thanks to their pilot. He was a good Manager, a good person and now she could add a good pilot. He made it seem so effortless. From where she was sitting, she could see his every move. He still had his costume on and amazingly so, it was not restricting or hindering any movements. He had removed the headpiece in lieu of wearing the headset. She saw him a few times talking into a microphone and assumed he was talking to radio towers or the office. They did have that fancy equipment in the pilot room that ever so often squawked the pilot's voices as they reported their positions during flight. Daisy had mentioned that they were required to do so whenever they entered the airspace of a certain control tower, or in some air corridors that were heavily transited.

He appeared so at ease. He would turn to look at Haley frequently and share smiles with her. Anna observed him unabashedly – the contours of his head, the way his hair flopped when he turned, his strong shoulders, his proud neck, the way his cheek dimpled when he grinned. He was lovely. Guilt tried to settle in, but there was no room for that feeling. Observing him was a pleasure and it wasn't like she could make small talk with her neighbors anyway. What was she supposed to do – not look at him? He kept drawing her in, like a magnet, even without trying. She couldn't help but notice that there was a childlike quality to him that could also be his need to nurture. He looked like a natural father. He may not have children, but she imagined that Haley was his and delighted with what she saw. His eyes crinkled mischievously when he noticed Haley was smiling. She was so enthralled with what she was seeing that it caught her off guard when he turned around to check on them in the back. Their eyes met each other. Maybe she should have looked away or acted demure, but that look he had in his eyes captivated her, sent her soaring higher than they were at that moment. She held it firm until he had to look away and get back to his controls. Detaching herself would be very hard indeed.

* * *

><p>Haley was squealing with delight as they hovered over the crenelated towers of Highclere castle. Below, as John surveyed the terrain, he could see many men, perhaps up to 50, spread out on the grounds. They were the Gant army, the foot soldiers of Malevola, come to stop them from reaching the imprisoned Princess. John was aware that the actual foot soldiers were volunteers from the II Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment. They were not too different from his old combat platoon, all full of energy. Mr. Edmunds had told John that Haley's father had been a soldier too and thus had asked for volunteers from his same unit. Their commanding officer, General Wickham, was very pleased to help and the interest from among the group had been outstanding. Word of mouth spread that the daughter of the late Leftenent Randolph Winters had a wish being granted through the Make a Wish foundation and the volunteers came from those active, inactive and even from those in retirement. It was uplifting, but sad. Haley and her sister Celeste were orphans, their parents having been killed in an automobile accident the year before. They had left the Hospital where Haley was being treated when they were hit by a drunk driver. John couldn't imagine that type of pain, how life-altering that could be for somebody that young, especially somebody already battling a fight of her own. Mr. Edmunds, though, said he had known Haley for a while and she was not bitter or resentful, more than anything, she was excited that she might soon get to see them again. Her and her sister had a good support system at home and were being cared for by their aunt and her husband. They were loved and well and their only goal now was to see Haley through to the end.<p>

John visualized the place where he was supposed to land and brought the chopper down slowly and gently, as was his custom. They were several hundreds of yards from the entrance, which would allow for ample battle play. A committee of three men was there to greet them and they stood at a distance, only coming forward when the rotors stopped spinning.

"We're here," John announced proudly and turned to look at all of his occupants. They all appeared excited, no longer showing the panic filled faces of 20 minutes ago. Anna was beaming and for the first time, he realized that she looked lovely in her outfit. She was always beautiful, but as a man, he wasn't trained to notice certain differences. At least not initially, but, he saw it now. Her hair was made up of several interlocking braids across the top, and the bottom half was left flowing. Maybe that was why Haley brought her along. She fit right into the story that they were living out. She did look like a Lady in her green dress and she stood out amongst the others. What had Haley called her? Lady Edwina…. He had no doubt that she was a real Lady, with or without the costume.

Mr. Edmunds spoke to all of them, but was addressing Haley directly. "We are to speak to these men for just a few minutes, while we get suited up and while your auntie Linda checks your vital signs and then we will commence the fight. Do you agree, Mistress Haley?"

"Yes, Sir," she grinned toothily as John unstrapped her and took away her headphones. John descended the helicopter from his side and came around, opening both doors. Anna and the others hopped off of the back, as John held Haley from under her arms and brought her down as well.

The men approached and John was momentarily startled. They removed their headpieces and one of the three men was Matthew Crawley. The others he did not know.

"Matthew, what brings you here?"

Matthew was just as surprised to see John, but should not have been, as there were not that many helicopter companies serving the North East of England. "My firm represents the affairs of several of the trust-owned properties of Yorkshire. I am here to supervise that everything is in order - before, during and after the event." He looked very proper when he said that, then grinned, a little more amiably when he added the second part. "That, and my mother is the administrator of this Castle, and she is acting as today's Malevola. Although I am on your side, I am here to make sure you don't kill her too harshly."

"You know each other?" asked Mr. Edmunds.

"Yes, Matthew is my lawyer."

Anna heard all the exchange and her mind immediately went to Mary and her situation. She had told her friend that the event would be staged in Highlclere, but as she was not set to come or participate directly, there was no further comment on the matter. Now that she was here, and knew who Matthew was, maybe there was a way to help her. She would be extra vigilant for an opportunity to talk to him.

Mr. Edmunds introduced all of them. The other two men in the committee were General Wickham, who had organized the Gant Army volunteers and would act as Malevola's henchman. He would be against them. The third person, a considerably younger man was Prince Fortius, Celeste's boyfriend who would be fighting alongside them to rescue his girl. It was apparent how much Haley liked him, as she immediately hugged him when they saw each other.

A couple of ground rules were set between all of them. The Gant Army would come and attack them. They all had mock weapons. They would go about it trying for it to be real as possible, but only a hit from Haley's sword would mean a kill. All the men were eager to play along and be killed off and they would have to engage all of them, as a real army would. The majority of the men, 43 in total, were outside, but a sprinkling were inside, leading up to where the Princess was locked away, where they would encounter and fight off the evil witch.

Aunt Linda gave a thumbs up after verifying all was well with the little girl. It was also agreed, that Haley did not have enough stamina to last that long in battle and would have to be carried every now and then, including up the stairs. All the men would take turns ferrying her when that was necessary.

When the General was safely away, Haley gave a battle cry and the fight commenced.

* * *

><p>Anna was having a great time. The combatants were approaching them zombie-like, limping noticeably. The rag tag outfits they wore were sourced by the soldiers themselves, so, there was no costume cohesion, but that made it seem real. They were supposedly medieval and many had obtained bits of armour or chainmail, here and there, but they all had weapons or clubs and faces smeared with black. Anna imagined that this was would it would have been like in those days.<p>

Matthew, and Mr. Edmunds, along with the lanky Prince Fortius and Sir Gallant were fake fighting the soldiers alongside the brave girl. "Die, evil one!" Haley would yell, then she would whack them with her sword and the soldier would fall to the ground, staying there, baking on the lawn of the castle. It was sweet to see the grin each one wore when they had been killed, each man feeling fulfilled, doing a good deed. It was beneficial that they were all trained soldiers, used to uncertainty and waiting, because by the speed they were making, it would take them a couple of hours to kill each one of the volunteers. The day was pleasant, but from lying about, she imagined each one would take a nice sunburn home as a souvenir from this day.

Anna felt a little useless, trailing behind them. She would yell and alert them to new aggressors and rejoice with each new kill, trying to be a part of it all, but she wasn't sure yet what Haley intended for her to do. Mr. Bates would often turn and give her an empathic smile, but they had not had a chance to talk much, not more than a mere comment here or there. She was amused, though, when one of the soldiers, grabbed her hand and puller her to him. He put his arm around her neck and whispered, "I won't hurt you love, it's just a part of the game." The face Mr. Bates made was priceless. Was that worry? Or Jealousy? Anna couldn't tell. Maybe both, she thought. Then she saw a bit of rage as he charged at the soldier with Haley by his side, lifting the little girl so that she could get him on the opposite shoulder from where Anna's head was resting against the man. It was all a game, but he momentarily appeared to have forgotten. When the man tumbled, he let go of Anna and she managed to stay upright. Mr. Bates was holding Haley, but Matthew gave her a hand to steady her, avoiding her own fall. Anna didn't know whether to be pleased or worried until she saw him smile. She would have been lost in the smile until she heard Haley address her.

"Lady Edwina, you could have used your powers of immobilization!" The little girl offered her this nugget of information as a matter-of- fact statement, demonstrating minor annoyance that Anna had not thought of that herself. It was the first time Anna understood what type of powers she had. That was the problem with acting out a character from somebody's imagination and joining the party late in the game. If she'd known, she would have been immobilizing and doing what-not to the men earlier.

"You're right Mistress Haley, how daft of me to forget." Thinking herself smart, she countered, "Should I vanquish them? Or is that too much?" She had seen her share of "Charmed" episodes a decade ago when she was a teenager. That's what they did to get rid of pestering spirits. That could work here too. Haley wouldn't know Charmed, but surely vanquishing was still as ever as popular on the proliferation of Vampire themed TV shows and movies that abounded these days. She was sure to have seen one of those and know what she was talking about.

Another round of Gant soldiers was closing in on them and she hoped for an explanation before they were distracted back into battle.

"Silly Lady Edwina," Haley seized her hand and chuckled with amusement and took Mr. Bates' hand as well. Anna wondered why her question was silly, but Haley managed to answer before turning to battle the next ragamuffin that stood between her and the castle. "You can only vanquish somebody evil if you and Sir Gallant are holding hands. It is only through the power of true love that goodness is magnified and evil defeated." She joined their hands and neither her, nor Mr. Bates, were expecting the electric jolt that went through their bodies as this contact between them happened. She felt goose pimples break out over her body. "Yours is true love." Without any further explanation, she left them there speechless. Matthew and Prince Fortius saw to her next skirmish and they ambled away.

Anna did not let go when he didn't attempt to. They remained in the same place where the little girl had left them. It was only a few meters from where the others were, but they could have been on a remote Island, thousands of miles away, for they were in their own little world. She could hear or see nothing else. They had touched before, but not like this. It seemed different. These were not the hands of business acquaintances together. These were hands experiencing new sensations, that of feelings being discovered and accepted. There was warmth, love and comfort. They silently moved their hands that were clutched, to threading their fingers through, making a stronger and powerful link.

Theirs was true love? What did this little girl know? Had she seen it in her eyes, or his? Whatever knowledge she had, Anna thanked her lucky stars that she was here and living in this wondrous moment.

* * *

><p>She hadn't been able to look at his eyes, staring senselessly at the ground. He needed her to look at him. He desperately wanted those pools of blue focused on him so that he could answer his heart's questions. Haley spoke of true love. Was this what that was? He felt something, he was sure. He knew she felt something, but what? What had Haley seen to say such a thing? Was this a part of the script, or did she make this up, as she went along, blessed at this stage of her life with intuition or foresight? Or had he been too obvious as he tried to keep up with Anna, making sideways glances whenever possible? Whatever prompted Haley's words, it had brought him to this moment, experiencing the warmth of her hand and it felt right. It was a perfect fit in his. To Haley, she was Lady Edwina, but to him, she was his angel and she was slowly leading him towards the light. She was making him feel things he hadn't in almost two decades. He felt his heart would burst and he did not want to let go.<p>

She finally looked up and as she did, he had his answer. There was agony and pain, mixed with elation and restraint. This was love.

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><p>They had been startled from their moment by members of the Gant army and Haley's shrieks of joy. They couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes, lost in their world, but it had been enough time for the miniature warrior to down another three men.<p>

They reluctantly separated their hands and joined the others. There was a different feeling about them now. No words had been exchanged, but none were necessary. They kept closer, gravitating towards each other, but did not dare to touch again. The longing glances continued, as did the palpitations in their hearts when they mutually caught each other staring.

With this redefined attention shared between them, as they progressed along the lawn, Anna couldn't help notice that Mr. Bates was starting to limp. It was not enough to be pronounced, but he grimaced every time he held the little girl up and the next few steps were done timidly, as if he were avoiding putting any weight on one of his legs. She hadn't noticed that about him before. Had he an injury she was unaware of? It worried her so. She didn't like to see him in pain.

They were finally in the castle. An hour and a half into the battle, Anna had counted 30 men, which left 13 to go, somewhere in the house.

"Team, I must implore you to be extra careful, as we are now traversing through more than 300 years of history, all around us. The paintings, rugs, tapestries, decorations and furniture are priceless."

The Grand hall where she was, or foyer, was spacious and impressive. A majestic fireplace adorned the room. It was a stunning, adding to the stately atmosphere of the space. A wooden stair case led up to an extraordinary gallery above, where the coats of arms of the family hung proud. Anna understood why Mary wanted to come here. These were her ancestors. If it were her family, she would be delighted too.

Matthew looked very serious and at the same time, Anna felt transported back. Even when her clothing, medieval in confection, did not go with the place, she ignored Matthew's ramblings to feel herself like a great lady entering her palace. She twirled once, forgetting she was not alone, imagining herself wearing something else - a gorgeous dress, maybe from one hundred years ago. A lovely gown that would catch the attention of the man she loved, him hailing her the most beautiful woman in the room. She thought of Mr. Bates and what it would feel like for him to hold her in his arms and dance with her. In her mind, they twirled and twirled, as he held her close. What she wouldn't give to share in that experience…

"Come, Lady Edwina," she heard Haley exclaim. In the minute her mind wandered, they had already taken down another man at the foot of the staircase. "We are getting closer to Malevola and I will need you there."

She hurried along to catch-up with them. She looked at the man she loved and he was in pain.

"Are you well, Mr. Bates? You seem out of sorts." She took advantage of the moment Mr. Edmunds had picked Haley up and was going up the first flight of stairs, leaving Mr. Bates by himself. It wouldn't do to embarrass him in front of the others.

"I'm fine. Just an old injury to my knee flaring up. I can manage." He smiled back at her.

"Of, course you can." She returned the smile. She didn't doubt he could. There was still much to know about him, but everything thus far amazed her. He was such a giving and kind man. She wondered how Vera could stomp all over him like she did. Now, he was suffering through an injury, just so that a little girl could be happy. That showed much courage and strength.

John worried for a moment that Anna would rebuke him for his injury and that she might want to make him stop what he was doing, but the look and support she gave him meant everything to him. Had this been Vera, she would have already berated him, called him worthless or some other damaging moniker. Anna didn't try to stop him and she understood his need to do good and to see this child's Wish through. She was such a good soul and such a beautiful and smart woman. How could she be single? Had no man seen her worth yet?

Anna changed the topic, hoping to dissipate any lingering sadness.

"It's wonderful how so many soldiers volunteered to participate in this wish. No matter how many we kill, there are still others. However did they manage it?" She gave him a sidelong glance as they arrived on the mid-level landing, between the Grand Hall below and the Gallery above.

"Haley's father was a soldier. These are members of his combat unit." He was boasting, almost proud. Anna wondered if he had been a soldier. That was something else she didn't know. He spoke with such confidence.

"Is her father here?" She hadn't heard of any talk of parents and wondered why that was. Mr. Bates bringing up her father allowed for her to ask.

"No, her parents were killed last year by a drunk driver. " He said it so directly, so bluntly. He did not mean anything by it, but it hurt her all the same. This was a very emotional day to begin with, knowing that Haley may not make it through the end of the year, but to find out that she had suffered so much additional loss, stopped Anna mid step. It brought her back to that fateful night, over a decade ago, when she herself suffered the same loss. She didn't want to make a scene, or be seen by the others, but she couldn't help it, and the tears started to flow. Haley was so much more a kindred spirit now. They had shared in the most devastating possible loss of all.

It took John two more steps up the stairs to realize that Anna had stopped below him. When he turned, there were silent tears, flowing down her cheeks. She was using the voluminous sleeves of her dress to dry to dry them quickly, but she had been too slow and he had seen them.

"What is it, Anna? Did I say something wrong?" As the others moved up, he moved back down to share her same step.

She was trying to control herself and her anguished face worried him enough that he sought her hand and held it tight, trying to provide comfort for the unknown emotional assault that had rendered Anna speechless. He wondered if she would jerk away from him for taking such a liberty, even when they had already held hands a moment ago. She didn't flinch.

"Anna, please tell me. You are worrying me." His voice was thick with concern.

She looked up, trying to flash a smile. "I lost my parents the same way, twelve years ago. Today has been such an emotional day and being reminded of that, with my feelings so close to the surface, well, I couldn't control myself. I'm fine now." Her eyes were still red, but, she had stopped crying.

"I am so sorry. I am such a brute."

"You weren't to know. Please don't call yourself that." She squeezed his hand, still in hers, and took a step forward. She let his hand go, conscious that they were not alone. The rest of the entourage was still nearby. "We should move along before they get too far ahead."

"Yes." He agreed, but lingered on second longer. He felt like such a nob. Earlier in the day, he had commented to himself that he didn't know how life-altering losing one's parents could be at such an early age and here was Anna, having experienced the same and he had no clue. It made sense now to him, how independent and guarded she was and how she only talked about her Godparents. He had wondered about her history, of her life before she became his Private Investigator. There was so much he wanted to know about her now. How could he have fallen for her and no nothing about her past? Was that even possible? Or practical? She was such an enigma and he hoped that he had more opportunities to find out about her.

* * *

><p>Breathless from walking up so many stairs, they made it to the highest point in the castle. They were all in the same winded state after taking on the narrow and hidden passageways that led them to the small room where the final scene would unfold. The corridors they traversed had hardly been walked through in the last few decades, eroding away any character or personality. Time had not been kind. What was left was grey, peeling walls, murky and cracked windows, a musty ambiance and a wonderful collection of cobwebs. They reached from floor to ceiling, adding to the mystique of the place. It was a far cry from the grandeur and splendors seen below. People had lived here, Matthew explained, pointing out that the doors they saw on either side of the halls were servant's quarters. They had been empty for over fifty years.<p>

They took their time when they realized that they had nobody left to battle except Malevola herself. They would need the extra minutes to catch their breaths and formalize their last assault. Haley, who had been carried up the most treacherous points was still doing well, and by all accounts was enjoying herself immensely. That's all the inspiration that was needed; her smiling face still spurring them on towards victory.

They were in front of the last door.

"Lady Edwina, I need you." Haley turned back to find Anna, standing amid the chaos of men. She extended her arm in invitation.

Her emotional turn from a little while ago forgotten, she heeded the request and moved forward and did as she was told. She stood beside the little girl.

"Only girl power can kill off Malevola." Haley took her hand. "My daddy said that there was nothing a girl couldn't do and that we were the most powerful creatures on earth. So, take my hand and join me in battle. Your special powers will be needed."

"It will be my honor." Even as she held hands with Haley, Anna curtsied as a sign of respect. She already had so much affection for her, knowing all the struggles she had endured.

"What about us, Mistress Haley?" Mr. Bates wore a confused look. "Should we wait here?"

"No, you shall come with us, but you will have no strength in front of Malevola. Only women that are pure of heart can do battle with her. "

They started to hear noises through the door that would take them into the final battle. It was an evil laugh. Matthew had notified his mother through a text message, hidden away from the others, that they were just short of the door, alerting her to start her act. They also heard Celeste's cries.

In a unified push, Anna and Haley broke open the door. Although it looked small from the outside, the room was quite large. It too had the characteristic neglect of the hidden parts of the house. Wearing a beautiful sky blue dress and a small tiara amid a glorious up do, Princess Celeste sat in a corner, chained to the window on the wall. She really did look quite pretty, the embodiment of every fairy tale princess they had ever read about. Anna could tell her boyfriend, Prince Fortius, swooned when he saw her. That was a momentary distraction, as the more evil presence in the room could not be ignored. Malevola was a magnificent creature. She stood behind a long table, separating her from the rest of the rescue party. Her outfit was reminiscent of what the evil witch in the Snow White fairy tale would look like. A long dark cloak covered her body, with shiny bits and bobs adorning the fabric. The sleeves were long and flowing. Her eyes were highlighted with makeup in dark tones, and a crown covered her gray hair.

"Who dares to come into my private quarters?" she yelled impressively, shocking the intruders. She postured in the role perfectly, raising her arms in a grand imposing gesture. Matthew looked most shocked of all, not expecting his mother to do her role so well.

"It is I, Haley, defender of the innocent and righteous. Liberate Princess Celeste immediately, or I will take further action."

"Such impudence! You are talking to Malevola, I cannot be defeated. My magic will annihilate all of you and your dragon, Saphira….then, I will steal Princess Celeste's beauty for myself. I will take it all and she will become a shriveled old woman."

"You will leave Princess Celeste alone," shouted her lover.

"Be quiet, you fool." She raised a wand in her hand and pointed it at Prince Fortius. "Die and let your Princess witness it" She kept circling her wand until the young man realized he was meant to fall, defeated. When he did, she pointed it at each one of the male members of the team, letting them all fall next to him.

"Quick, Lady Edwina, you are the only one who has the powers to contradict her. Reverse the curse, before the men are lost to us forever. She cannot do you or me any harm, as we are righteous warriors." Haley implored Anna into action.

Anna did the same as Malevola had done, bringing her fingers together and waving them graciously in the air. She pointed at each one of the fallen men in the room, "Rise, brave warrior, I reverse the curse and make you well." She did her best to sound menacing and authoritative, when inside she felt rather foolish. She gave Mr. Bates an extra smile and a wink when she did, singling him out from the others.

Each man rose, stifling the laughs that were threatening to escape them. She could tell Princess Celeste was trying hard to keep in character, but failing, as she also chuckled quietly.

"Your powers will do us no harm, Malevola. Release Princess Celeste or I will have to kill you." Haley lifted her sword, pointing it at her.

"You could do no such thing. You could never get to me." Malevola felt very sure of herself and laughed.

"Yes, we can. Lady Edwina will immobilize you and I will finish you off. Do, it now."

Anna understood that was her queue to act again.

"By the powers of all that is good, I act upon you." Anna put out the palm of her hand and pointed it at the witch who was cackling in the corner. Matthew's mother was a surprising good actress, as she started to change her face, as Anna continued with the motion in her hands. She rolled her eyes back and knelt. Anna lowered her hand, allowing Haley to move forward and finish her off. With a stabbing motion, she hit the older lady gently until she fell to the floor.

Prince Fortius ran to Princess Celeste and liberated her from the chains. He took her in his arms, spinning her around, and then stopped to kiss her. It was all sweet, what one would expect form this type of scenario. After their embrace, Celeste ran to kiss and hug her sister, as did their Aunt Linda, who had trailed quietly the whole time. It all seemed to be the happy ending they were waiting for. After a few minutes of jubilation, Haley turned around.

"Wait! Sir Gallant and Lady Edwina are supposed to kiss too. It's not over until they do."

John went weak when he heard what he was expected of him. Anna looked no better. Kiss her here? In Public? What he would give to have such an opportunity, making his daydreams come true, but he did not want witnesses, or for her to be forced into it. Not in a million years would he have guessed that this is where it would happen.

Aunt Linda voiced her concern to her niece. "Haley, sweetheart, you can't ask that of people."

"But order to the universe won't be restored. True love overcomes all adversity. Princess Celeste and Prince Fortius kissed, now it's their turn. That's how it ends." She pointed at the couple, with real distress written all over her face.

They beheld each other, briefly, realizing that they did not want to let Haley down. The little girl had an expectant face, the worry not leaving her brow. Mr. Bates was asking silent permission of her. There was also a hint of excitement peeking through his shyness. He looked like he wanted to do this. If she could have had her choice, she would have preferred not to, as she would have to feign this being a chore and not demonstrating how eager she was as well. But who was she kidding? She had longed to feel his lips on hers, and even if this kiss wasn't born out of passion between them. It was a staged production, another element to today's fantasy; yet, this could provide the perfect legitimate cover for it.

"Order to the Universe cannot be left in such a state," Anna interjected, hoping to change Haley's mortified face into a happy one. She saw how the grin was produced as she turned her entire body towards Mr. Bates. She was intent on seeing the requirements for Lady Edwina's role to the very end. "Sir Gallant, It would be my pleasure." She was looking at only him in that moment. The others couldn't tell, but she was communicating through her eyes that she wanted him to come forward. She wanted him to kiss her.

Mr. Bates stepped forward with trepidation and wrapped his arm around Anna's waist, slowly and reverently. He could feel the tremble that swept through her body as they touched and it did nothing to calm him. Instead, it set his nerves and body on fire. He was thankful for the strategic metallic plates of his armour. He had already experienced once the type of physical reaction she produced in him and this was a prime moment for it to happen again. He was very tempted to stroke her, to feel the rest of her body, but he wouldn't. They had an audience and he could not touch her as he wanted. That didn't mean that he would downplay it either, even if it was for show. He had to get this right as he may never get to kiss her again. He would make it count. As he brought Anna closer, he dipped her, slightly, and hovered over her, their faces inches apart. He forgot the pain in his leg as their breaths mingled. She was nervous, not knowing where to place her arms, and ended up wrapping them around his neck. First, it was for support, as she had nothing to hold on too, but then, when he felt her massage his neck slightly, he could resist no more. With her eyes imploring him to proceed, he caught her lips, fully and slowly. She was warm and soft and inviting and it was a glorious kiss and as everybody around them cheered, he could think of nothing else than the electricity that surrounded their bodies, of how she felt so right in his arms, of how much he missed sharing this with another human being.

* * *

><p><strong>AN. Thank you for reading! I will return to my regular story format in the next chapter! I truly appreciate the response this story has received thus far and hope you will continue to stick with me for the rest of it. Elsie and Pops are getting closer to tracking Vera's activities. Is Anna as close in determining who the lover is? Tune in for the next installment and please let me know what you think!**

**Also, I just want to give a shout out to the real work done by the Make a Wish Foundation. My story is just a little fiction intended to bring John and Anna closer together, but the actual work they do is wonderful. It is a great feeling to see a child embark on an adventure that will bring them so much happiness. The company I work for does so much with them I have watched several children, from many places in the world, benefit from this partnership. If you haven't already witnessed a child in the middle of their wish, I hope you do. It would bring tears to your eyes. **


	8. The Day After

**In honor of the wonderful Chelsie shippers that have been so supportive of my story, there is a double dose of them in this chapter. Thank you for hanging in there when last chapter saw none of their antics.**

**The Brendanite obsessives like me will also recognize some words I borrowed from the Larkrise to Candleford series, only this time- it is not Mr. Timmins who says them. **

**Oh, and for Banna this chapter, I think the scene I wrote is somewhat cliché, but it is an indulgence of mine and I hope that you can enjoy it as much as I do. **

* * *

><p><em>WHEN YOU CEASE TO DREAM, YOU CEASE TO LIVE – Malcom Forbes<em>

Anna stared at the tweet from Mr. Bates, yet again. What did he mean by that? And when did he have time to send it? It had only been two hours since their kiss. She sighed, remembering what a kiss it was. She couldn't help repeating it over and over in her mind. It was better than she could have imagined, albeit the half dozen people watching and cheering them on. She could have done without them and their excitement. Not for a moment like this, something that felt like pure magic. He held her so firmly, yet gently. She ached for his hands to go further than where they rested, to feel and stroke her, but they were strategically and visibly in a respectful position along her back and shoulder, holding her low, as he hovered above her. She loved that he had dipped her, making the feeling all the more sensual. They didn't move, not an inch, as Mr. Bates did not want the audience to catch on what was happening before their very eyes. They couldn't see what his eyes were telling her – that this was no act.

His lips were warm and soft; masterful and timid. They took and they gave, as much as was possible in the few seconds it lasted. It couldn't go further, or deeper, not when they were in such a public setting, but it was enough to convey his longing for her. It ignited all of her senses and she wanted more of him. It was over too soon, yet long enough to fulfill Haley's requirement. From her place beneath him, he brought her up, still holding her close. His eyes never left hers as he took a step back, finding her hand in the process. He knelt down on one knee and after kissing her hand gently, addressed her. "Lady Edwina, my loyalty and love are yours for eternity." And that's how it ended, with Haley swarming and embracing them.

They were pulled apart. Everybody was excited. Haley wouldn't let go of her. Matthew wouldn't let go of him. They were hoarded down to the library where all the participants were treated to a catered lunch. It was a lovely celebration with much enthusiasm and spirit. They shared the same large table, but did not sit together and they had no opportunity to talk. She was wedged between Matthew Crawley and his mother, Isobel Clarkson. Her conversations helped further Mary's cause, but left her feeling empty. She craved his attention and company. Initially, she thought the reason he wouldn't talk to her was the collection of people surrounding them. When he wouldn't look at her, she worried. Was it a game? Ignoring her to deflect attention away from them? Maybe they hadn't fooled anyone and Matthew reminded him what was at stake. Or was he embarrassed about what happened? She shrugged it off as a matter of timing. They were after all, still on the premises, he was still a married man and Matthew, his solicitor, was also present. It was a large round table and he was placed between Mr. Edmunds and Haley. He didn't get up or go anywhere and he spent the time talking to the little girl.

That must have been when he sent the tweet. He was getting better at it. No written mistakes this time, only the big blunder of accidentally tweeting his location. She had disabled location services on his app, but he must have tinkered with it and unknowingly, activated it. The tweet advertised they were at Highclere. Again, she would ask him to be careful.

This message didn't have anything to do with the investigation; there weren't any hidden clues for her to act upon. This was personal, a reflection of his current mood. The twitter account was meant to be for their communication only, but she wouldn't tell him to stop. It gave her insight into what he was thinking. What did that sentence mean? Was he dreaming about her and now imagining that we would start to live his life, one requiring resurrection from a loveless marriage? Did he have hope for them in the future? Or was this the opposite, his confirmation of the impending death of his dreams? She couldn't tell and wouldn't know; not when he was shying away from her. He was courteous, but wouldn't look her in the eye when they boarded Saphira for the ride back home. It had only been three of them in the helicopter on the return, as Haley stayed behind, reunited with her family. After a long and tearful good-bye, for all of them, they left Haley amid promises of visiting her at the hospital. Mr. Edmunds came with them; his car, parked at the Bates Airlift compound. She let him sit upfront and took to the rear by herself. Being alone helped her clear her thoughts as they made their way across the Yorkshire countryside. When they landed, her stint as Lady Edwina came to an end and reality barreled in. Although he gave his hand so she could descend, he didn't readily acknowledge her. He escorted Mr. Edmunds back into the office and she was left all alone, fantasy over. She was more confused than ever.

Now, she stood on the tarmac, outside of the hangar, stripped of her medieval costume and donning the mechanic jumpsuit. With her unplanned absence to attend the event at Highclere that day, both William and Tom accumulated more tasks than they were able to do. They were still not finished with the overhaul to Audrey. They could not spend any time on cleaning Ava. She was the natural choice to provide the transformation back to her non-dragon state and it needed to be done tonight. Ava had executive services booked for the following morning. The evening was fast approaching. She did feel guilty that she had left them in a lurch, not realizing the impact her absence that day would have on them. She set out to work diligently the moment she was back. She still had the vestiges of her intricate hairdo, but she had gathered it all up, and bunched her hair together, trying to keep it from getting dirty and wet while she wiped the paint off of Ava. She was not accomplishing that task well. If she were to do this quickly, while the sun was still out, she needed to be fast about it. Fast and efficient were mutually exclusive. Saphira was disappearing before her very eyes, but all the paint and water were transferring on to her. The glamour from this morning was long gone, a real Cinderella from modern times. She looked a mess.

"Anna." She heard her name and turned back to see Gwen standing at a distance, avoiding the muddle of water and paint. Anna turned off the water supply and approached her.

"What is it?" Anna asked sweetly.

"You're coming with me!" There was much excitement in her voice. Gwen looked like she could burst with happiness.

"Where? To get the next load of passengers?" She really had no idea what Gwen was talking about and didn't think she should be seen in public appearing like this. She looked towards the Customer reception area and it was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief. There were no more scheduled departures for that day and thus, no customers to escort. What was she talking about?

"No, to London - to the Oil and Gas Summit. We're going together and it will be so exciting. Please say you'll come."

"Me? To the Oil and Gas Summit?" Anna racked her mind. It was set to start next Monday. "What do you mean I am going?" That was a surprise. Richard Carlisle didn't want to take women, Gwen had struggled to get invited, and now they were both going? It sounded interesting, exactly the type of experience she wanted to obtain during her time here. She had also worried about Gwen going alone with Richard and wondered how to casually alert her friend to her suspicions without accusing him outright. All she wanted was for Gwen to be extra careful and to avoid complicated situations. If she went, she wouldn't have to voice her concern. She could do that surreptitiously.

"Mr. Bates asked me to find a personnel company in London who could provide a hostess for the Bates Airlift stand because Richard has demanded we have one. I suggested we take you along. You are new, but you now know enough about some of our processes and you would be much better than somebody off the street. It's only a hostess position, nothing grand, but Mr. Bates would be paying for all our expenses. You are supposed to be in accounting next week, but, he said he would switch it to Sales so that you could participate if you wanted to." Gwen stopped to take a breath. She was so excited, she wasn't even breathing. "Oh, please say yes. We'll learn so much and we are supposed to share a room and we can do girlie things at night. It will be fun."

Anna still wasn't sure about going. The hesitation was evident in her voice. "I'd love to, but this is your opportunity. It took you so long to finally get the approval to go. I feel like I would be robbing you. I wouldn't want to do that Gwen. It's supposed to be your trip." She did feel guilty. Gwen had tried for over a year to get the invitation and suddenly, she would get to go? She didn't think that would go over well with the others in the office.

"Nonsense. It was my idea. You are not robbing me of anything, as long as I get to go." Gwen changed her demeanor and became pensive before adding her next comment. She appeared worried as her brow furrowed. "Also, if you come, you really can be the hostess so that Richard doesn't find a way to relegate me. I am supposed to be with him when we talk to the clients, but I have a feeling he'll find a way to subvert Mr. Bates' instructions and downgrade me to that position. In a sense, you'd be helping me out." She raised her eyebrows in expectation and hunched her shoulders, waiting for Anna to agree.

Anna would absolutely love to go, in whatever capacity were possible. She didn't care that she'd be there serving tea and biscuits, making copies, or standing around looking pretty and trying to reel in potential customers. She wanted to help Gwen achieve her dreams. She wanted to learn more about Richard, who as a potential lover was such a riddle to her. The problem was time and distance. This was in London, away from her investigation. It would take several days. She could only work on Richard, none of the others. She couldn't believe that Mr. Bates would have approved this, knowing that it would only delay their mutual project. There was only so much she could do remotely. Dread filled her. Or was he trying to get her away from here, continuing whatever evasive feelings had found him after their kiss? He hadn't even tried to come and tell her himself. She sighed. Please don't let Gwen being here be a sign of anything.

Gwen looked at her pleadingly again.

"You're sure that the office can handle both your and my absence? Sarah won't go into a fit?" This was her last bit of resistance.

Gwen laughed. "Of course she'll have a fit. She has a fit every time I take my holiday, even when Phyllis does most of my work. There is no way around that. Mr. Bates is aware and he says that he will help out as much as he can."

Anna smiled. Although she did not want to ruffle Sarah's feathers further, she did want to go.

"Of course, I'll go. It will be fun."

* * *

><p>"You look like you've had a rough day. Is it Vera again?"<p>

John took a seat at the counter, in his usual stool, the one immediately in front of all of the bartender's utensils and where you could not be ignored. It was easiest for Rob to continue to work and pay attention to him if he sat there. In times of trouble, he didn't have to say much for Rob to know exactly what was on his mind. That helped, as he was not one to talk. Rob didn't like to say things out loud either, they were British, after all, and some things needed to remain unsaid. Yet, Rob always found a way to communicate what he was thinking without making him feel like a failure. He would need those skills today.

John looked up at his friend, and that look was enough for Rob to deduce his ailment was of another kind. Robert had already poured John's usual diet coke with a wedge of lemon and pushed it forward.

"No, it's not Vera today. The look of ire is gone from your eyes, replaced by something different." He came forward and pretended to examine him as a doctor would, lifting his chin gently and moving it from side to side, surveying the hidden meaning behind his melancholy eyes. John imagined he was trying to make light of the situation. "Confusion, touched with a bit of anxiety. There's a hint of regret in there too. My verdict old fellow, is L-O-V-E." He spelled it out to not draw any attention from bystanders.

John was taken aback at such a bold assertion. He must have made a face rejecting the comment, prompting Rob to ask. "Is that not it?"

He fidgeted in his seat. John quietly answered back, realizing that he couldn't deny it and shouldn't at this point. That is why he was here to see his friend after all. He needed a sounding board, somebody to help him pull his thoughts together.

"No, that's it."

Robert smiled discreetly, proud of his diagnostic skills. Years of listening to his customers had honed his abilities.

"I think I am in trouble," John continued.

"Why so?" Rob asked as he poured some ale into a frosty glass and handed it to a customer who stood waiting next to John.

"I've lost control. That can't be happening now. I've much to lose."

"Anna is a lovely girl." Rob wanted to advance the conversation. John thought he was discreet with his emotions, but it had not been difficult for Rob and Mary to realize where his attentions lay, when last John and Anna had been seen together.

He spit his drink out, not expecting Robert to know about Anna. "How do you know?" He was truly startled.

Robert was not amused at the mess John made. As he wiped the counter, he gave John his response. "It was obvious to those of us who know you, when both of you met here at the pub. Both you, and her, are horrible at disguising your interest in each other. Even Mary realized that something was going on and my daughter is very self-absorbed."

John put his head between his hands. "Oh, God." He breathed in before continuing. "It's not good timing Robert. She's wonderful, but, this is such a conundrum. She holds the key to my liberation and she's also the warden." His analogy was not understood by Robert, usually very able to catch on.

"She is helping me deal with Vera and she is bringing new light into my life, but at the same time, anything with her could cost me everything. Vera would result the ultimate victor."

"Aaaaaahh". Robert understood. It was a difficult situation. He hoped his friend had tempered his enthusiasm. "Have you slept with her?"

John opened his eyes wider, physically objecting to the question. There was no subtlety in the way Robert had asked. "NO….we haven't…" His voice boomed his answer, catching the attention of the patrons at the closest table.

Robert lowered his voice to maintain their conversation more private. "But something happened to change the platonic nature of your relationship, if not, you wouldn't be here." Rob crossed his arms. He wondered how good he was at guessing.

"John?" he asked again after John wouldn't look up. His friend clutched his drink firmly between both hands, holding on to it to avoid speaking the truth. He was finding it hard to confront his feelings.

"We kissed. I couldn't help myself. It was part of the whole fairy tale made into wish for the foundation child I told you about. I won't explain how it happened exactly, but, we were asked to do this, by a child, and I was not about to be a fool and let the opportunity get away from me. The moment I kissed her, I knew it was over for me."

Deep inside, Robert was happy for him. For the first time in countless years, he was listening to a different type of problem for John – not the misery and forced complaisance of years past.

"How does she feel?" When he observed Anna, she appeared just as smitten with John as he was with her. He really didn't need the confirmation, just John's appraisal.

"She enjoyed it. I could tell." John's face mirrored the confusion in his head. "But that doesn't mean anything."

Robert gave him a skeptical glance. He was daft if he couldn't figure out that she liked him too. Better to not dwell on that. "Did you tell her how you feel?" he asked instead.

John shot him a wild look. Tell her how he felt? What… was Robert crazy? That was the last thing he could do. Talking about feelings made things more conclusive and finite.

"No. We didn't talk." He regretted that. She looked hurt when she descended the helicopter. He had to escort Mr. Edmunds back and leave her behind. As he was turning around, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile fade.

"I see. So, after it happened, you ran away?"

John nodded, feeling a bit daft. "I was with somebody, but didn't try to find her later."

"That's a little secondary school of you, John. At this age, you should be able to confront her and get to a middle ground."

Robert was right. He was a bumbling fool.

"John, how nice to see you!" The voice startled him away from the answer he was formulating for Rob. He turned to see Cora and Mary, coming from the door that led to the pub's private quarters above. Cora, Robert's American born wife often came to help; when she wasn't busy volunteering her time at the couple of non-profit organizations that she was a patron of. She avoided the late evening shifts, leaving Robert in charge, but she did fill in for him on occasion.

"Hello Cora, Hello Mary." Their timing was very inconvenient. He needed to think things through. He was a grown man. He should have mastered running from his emotions a long time ago. But how could he? All he had known in the last two decades was grief and bitterness. He was always sprinting away from anything that could cause him to lose control – good or bad. The only way he could survive in his current surroundings was absolute discipline. Anna's presence was the first ray of sunshine to peak through the grey and he did not know how to deal with that. The feelings of happiness, and possible pleasure were odd to him. He barely remembered what it felt. How was he supposed to know how to channel it, temper it, and lead it to fruition? How was he supposed to know how to not push her away, when all his adult life, he had been pushed away himself? Like a Pavlovian dog, he had learned his reactions through time and doing the opposite required deprogramming.

Before the ladies thought him rude, he remembered to ask about the rest of the family.

"Everything well with the girls?" His question was directed at Cora. Mary was just staring at him, not responding to him at all.

"They are finishing their terms up at school and should be back in a couple of weeks for the summer break. Sybil has work experience lined up with the Ripon and District Community Hospital and Edith will be helping us here in the pub."

All three of the Crawley daughters attended the same University. Mary had graduated and had come back to work for him while she found something else, but he did not know what was going on with the other two. Sybil, the youngest, was studying nursing and Edith was pursuing Journalism. He hardly saw them anymore. Before heading off to their studies, they were usually too busy with their social lives to come in and give their father a hand, but they worked the occasional shift. Those were the only times he saw them.

"It will be nice to see them again," he sincerely offered.

Mary was still observing him keenly. He tried to avoid their gazes coming together, especially since Robert mentioned that she had perceived his closeness with Anna. She was likely Anna's confidant too. He relented and looked at her, giving a timid smile. They didn't need to say anything, but a lot was expressed in that minute. They knew who each other was in the life of Anna Smith. Mary was worried, her gaze imploring him to not be foolish.

Cora took Mary's arm, as she kissed Robert on the cheek and said her polite goodbyes. They mumbled something about getting items from her car and a moment later, they were gone.

Robert looked back at him, putting together his thoughts. The lines between his eyes would indent and his mouth would do a pouty gesture. When Robert did that, he was formulating a deep idea and John knew to pay attention.

"John, only you can decide what happens in your life. Anna is your private investigator and she understands perfectly what your current limitations are. You explained that when you hired her. I know her to be an intelligent young lady. By the way she was looking at you the other day, and your confirmation of her having enjoyed the kiss, I will take a quantum leap to guess that she likes you too. She deserves to know where you stand. I am sure that if you spoke to her, she would comprehend. Be honest and direct, nothing wishy-washy. A woman needs to be told how you feel in clear, plain, unmistakable terms. If you don't talk to her, you'll make a mess out of things, which would result in no girl and no evidence against Vera. Think about it."

Of course Robert was right. He didn't have to urge him to think about it. That was all he'd been doing since the moment his lips touched hers.

* * *

><p>Anna was exhausted. Battling soldiers, trudging up endless flights of stairs, wiping down multimillion pound flying machines, kissing the man of her dreams, then trying to understand his emotions, had all taken a physical and mental toll on her. She almost desisted from setting up the voice recorders in Anthony, Vera and Richard's offices, but it really was the ideal moment for it. If she were to go to London next week, then she had to accomplish it sooner than later. She spent an extra hour in the office, setting it all up. It helped that everybody had left by the time she finished Ava. With the keys John had given her, she had entered each office.<p>

Unfortunately, none of the devices would be connected to the telephone. What she was doing was already questionable, but, as an employer, Mr. Bates had a legal right to record anything on his premises. That did not extend to anybody on the phone who may be calling from the outside. She could not tap the phone legally. The recorders were attached under the desks, as close as possible to the actual telephone, recording as much as they could. The devices would then utilize the Bates Airlift customer courtesy wireless network to transfer the recorded segments to her email every couple of hours. It worked well and she expected good results from her work. She still had to go through their files, but that would have to happen another day when she was less tired. She would come back the weekend if necessary. She had existing files she wanted to look through again before bringing on new ones.

A few hours later, she lay in bed with her stack, going through the withdrawal records in Anthony and Vera's files. They were of similar days, in the same bank. She looked at them again. She took out her calendar and started relating all the historical dates. Goodness! She realized that Anthony's transactions were every two weeks, on a Friday. Today was Thursday and according to the file, he was due a transaction tomorrow. The transaction times were around noon. Vera's transaction was electronic. She wondered if Joe couldn't track Vera's dealings an easier way. It was worth a try. She would talk to him tomorrow. She would also ask him to send him the files for Tony Gillingham, Alfred Nugent and Michael Gregson. She didn't have any reason to add them, but now that she had eliminated Tom Branson and Jack Ross, she should look at the files of another three men, hoping to eliminate as many as possible. That would only leave Thomas Barrow, William Mason and Jimmy Kent untouched. She couldn't imagine, with Thomas being gay, that he would be Vera's lover, so there was no sense in adding him. Jimmy always tried too hard to appear like a lady's man and she was not buying it. She would bet her earning from working this case that he was in the closet. Investigating him would just waste her time. William, she wondered about, though. He looked like a real nice lad and perhaps too innocent. After working around him for a week, she saw too much goodness in him to imagine that he could carry on so illicitly with a married woman. That and she had noticed how much he seemed to want to assist Daisy with all her tasks. He was smitten with her and even Tom realized it, hanging back from his duties when Daisy was the pilot, acting as a silent wingman for his colleague. Daisy didn't seem to realize it; she was a bit on the daft side. She would leave him off the list for now.

In the middle of her meandering thoughts, she heard the keys being passed through the lock on the flat's front door. Mary was back from work. She threw the files on the floor and turned off the lights. Mary would want to know the events of the day and Anna could not face her. She had information after talking to Isobel and Matthew during lunch, but it would have to wait. How could she lie to Mary after last night's outburst? She couldn't possibly tell her the truth, not yet. She had pledged to distance herself from Mr. Bates, and she had done exactly the opposite.

She heard Mary's feet approach her room. She was probably bending down to see if the light was reflecting from underneath, through the bottom, before knocking on the closed door. After a minute, Mary walked away. Anna was relieved. She had one more day to figure out what was going on between her and Mr. Bates before facing her friend.

* * *

><p>Anna couldn't wait for Saturday. This week, working for Tom and William, had been physically demanding and she needed a lie in and a relaxing bubble bath. Scouring the mountain of files and deposit records also drained her mentally. She needed to have some hours to herself, doing something that did not involve either Bates Airlift or Private Investigation. She remembered starting a book over two months ago and it was still lying on her bedside table, untouched and gathering dust. Maybe she could go to a park with her book and finish it. That was a nice dream that was still several hours away, as it was Friday morning. Far from her wishes of more rest, she was driving into the compound at an early hour. It was a quarter to seven, early enough to not run into anybody and allow her to do her sleuthing. She had at least 45 minutes to assess and discover the contents of at least one of the offices thoroughly.<p>

Her car sputtered and shook, alarming her for a moment. We're already here sweetheart, calm down, she told the car. She really should take her car into a mechanic. It had been sputtering as of late and rattling at odd intervals. Perhaps, since she would be in London next week, she should leave it in a repair Shoppe to have a revision.

As expected, the offices in the compound were empty. She turned on the lights to Anthony Strallan's office. She had been here yesterday, but in the rush to install the listening device, she had not focused on anything else. Now, she could see that he was a very plain man. He had a perfunctory desk, filled with neat little stacks of files, reports and papers. It filled the right side, to completion. On the left side of his desk, he had his telephone and his computer's monitor. The only other items were a container filled with very sharp pencils and a no nonsense stapler. It looked to be at least twenty years old, an older model she didn't encounter anywhere else in the office. It could even be used as a lethal weapon, she decided, when she picked it up for further examination. Behind his desk, there was another support ledge with a raised storage system filled with big, thick books and executive binders. The books were all General Accepted Accounting Principle guides and UK tax code references. The binders seemed to be the Bates Airlift year-end financial reports for at least ten years. Anna perused a couple and they were all legitimate.

He had two drawers attached to his desk. She opened the top one to reveal a jumble of items. He had a half-eaten pasty in its wrapper, opened bags of crisps, assorted plastic cutlery, napkins, random unwrapped biscuits, an anti-perspirant stick, a ruler, several roles of transparent tape in different intervals of use, the sole of a shoe, a random stocking, a bottle of aspirin and office accoutrements such as pens, a letter opener, rubber bands, clips and staples. Anna was appalled, but she couldn't contain her giggles. Anthony was such a sweet man and the items in his desk were consistent with her idea of him being a kind of "absent-minded" professor. Who would put the sole of a shoe where random, unwrapped biscuits were lying about? Why would he have only one stocking in the drawer? Would she open another cabinet and find its mate? Neither of these questions answered the bigger quandaries, but they gave insight into his mind.

He had no decorations beyond his framed Accounting degree from Lancaster University Management School. Anna knew that this University was well regarded for their Accounting programs, so, Anthony had studied in a good school. He had no plants, no other personal items on display. That showed how reserved he was. His credit card and bank statements showed no big spending and no hobbies that could be discerned. Anna felt sorry for him. He was missing a lot in his life.

She opened the bottom drawer, discovering many personal files. She only had half an hour more before she was putting herself at risk of being seen, so, she went through them as quick as she could. She concentrated on the ones that sounded interesting. Amid his employment contract, what seemed to be the mortgage statements for his flat, the financing paperwork for his automobile and other work related items, she found one titled JB, another titled VB, and yet another titled EB. Those must be John and Vera, but who was EB? Nobody else in the firm had those initials. Evelyn would be EN.

She didn't want to waste time and wondered if she should take pictures of every document with her IPhone. She desisted, considering it could take a while. Instead, she would make photocopies. She checked her watch. It was 7:25. She really needed to hurry. The closest photocopy machine was that shared by Anthony, Phyllis and Thomas, just outside of Anthony's office. Most of the team started at 830am, but others, such as Phyllis and Mr. Bates sometimes started earlier. It wouldn't do to have Phyllis find her here and she didn't think she wanted to run into Mr. Bates at this moment. They had much to talk about, but she wasn't mentally prepared for that type of ambush so early in the moment; least of all when she was trying to prowl.

As a precaution, she did not turn on the lights, and powered the copy machine in the dark. As she took the files and arranged the contents on the copy machine feeder tray, she tried to go through the papers, wondering if she had found her holy grail or not. In her experience, 95% of what she found was worthless and often, the 5% that broke her case was something so insignificant and so overlooked that by itself it held no meaning. Putting it with other documents, made it important. Her memory was trained to remember it all in case it became relevant in the future. Now as she looked at all the papers, she wondered if any of them were the 5% that she needed, the one document that could give Mr. Bates the proof he so desperately wanted.

She rearranged all of the papers into the files, exactly how she had found them and was walking back to Anthony's office when she heard a noise, somebody punching the code at the entry to come in. Panicked, she closed the door to Anthony's office and turned off the lights there. She quickly put the files into the hanging file holder where she had found them. She stuffed the photocopies down the front of her shirt. If she were caught, it should be without holding his files or any other documents. She ambled to the door and listened through, trying to figure out who had arrived. Her exit strategy would depend on that. Her heart fell when she realized it must be Phyllis, as the rustling of a handbag and keys being deposited onto a desk were heard only a few feet away. How could she make her exit now?

* * *

><p>Phyllis parked quietly outside and noticed the car belonging to Anna Smith already there. That was quite early for somebody that was interning with the mechanics this week. She was smart and eager, arriving early and leaving late every day. Sarah usually spoke poorly about her and Gwen thought that she was magnificent, quite the opposite. She would reserve her judgment until Anna worked with them in accounting, but in the meantime, she would not join either side in praising or condemning her. She would rather just observe.<p>

After turning on the lights, she put her handbag on her desk and sat down, powering her desktop computer. She had come early to allow herself to think clearly, by herself. Anthony always talked incessantly and Thomas was always being Thomas and she preferred the solitude of the early morning. She often thought she accomplished more in that one hour than in all of the other hours of the day.

Something wasn't right, though. There was something in the ambiance. As she turned around, she noticed the faint light being given off by the large copier they shared in their office. She approached the machine and put her hand on the engine. It was warm. Somebody had used the machine recently. This model had an automatic energy saving feature and it turned itself off after ten minutes of inactivity, thus, it couldn't have been left powered on since yesterday. It must have been used within the last ten minutes. The only car in the car park was Anna's. Could it have been her? Mmmm. She was curious. Why would Anna use this copier if there was one next to her desk that was shared with Gwen and another smaller one in the pilot's lounge that was available to anyone?

Phyllis took a step back. Was it really Anna who was here? Maybe she had left her car here last night. Just because her car was in the car park did not confirm her presence somewhere in the compound. She suddenly shivered. If it wasn't Anna, then who could it be? Was anybody else already at the office? She became nervous. Even just for her wellbeing, she decided to investigate and left the Accounting enclosure towards the opposite end of the offices where the pilot's room, kitchen and small lunch room and lockers were housed. She needed to make sure if she was really alone here.

* * *

><p>Anna listened intently. She couldn't stay here forever. If Anthony caught her in his office, that would be the end of her. She tried to conjure a reasonable explanation, but she came up short. There was no way she could justify to him being there, especially since she had not done the rounds in accounting yet. There was also no other alternative. There were no windows that could be opened or a storage room to hide in. She couldn't just leave either and risk Phyllis blowing her cover. Phyllis was not a bad person, not like Sarah, but that didn't matter. She couldn't be seen at all. Mr. Bates might be able to help her. If Phyllis did not get up and leave the area soon, she might have to call him and ask him to provide a reason for Phyllis to move. She took out her phone and found his number on speed dial.<p>

She was about to call him when she heard Phyllis walk away, or what sounded like heels being dragged on a carpet. She risked her safety to open the door. She did it slowly, with no noise at all - just a sliver of a crack. It was enough for Anna to discern that Phyllis had indeed walked away from the area. She thanked her lucky stars. This might be her only opportunity. She stepped out and closed the door quietly behind her.

* * *

><p>Phyllis had searched all the offices and having found nobody, was on her way back, when she ran into the object of her search. "Good Morning Phyllis," the blonde intern wished her as she moved forward through the office and towards the exit to the tarmac.<p>

"Good Morning," Phyllis responded meekly as she turned around in her spot to watch her go.

Phyllis had looked for her in the farthest ends of the office space and did not find her. Appearing as though she had just arrived, she was walking with purpose. Mmmm. That was odd. There was no way that Anna Smith had just arrived, unless she came in another vehicle. Just to be sure, she opened the reception door, where she could peer out of the front. There were only two cars there. Anna's and hers. So, where was Anna when she walked in? She had to have been hiding in one of the four offices.

Should she tell? She would have to think about it.

* * *

><p>"You go inside the bank," Elsie commanded.<p>

Pops turned to look at her with rejection written all over his face.

"Don't give me that look," warned Elsie. "It's your turn to trail somebody. I've done all of the trailing lately. Its time you got some fresh air."

She raised her chin in defiance, daring him to contradict her. It was pouring rain outside. Another fine pre-summer Yorkshire day, filled with unpredictable showers. Anna had requested they follow Anthony. They'd only found out about it a couple of hours ago, and they had not had a chance to determine who would do what with this unexpected request. She wasn't about to get wet. Not this time.

"Fresh air? May I remind you that I had plenty yesterday, plus, several liters of York's purest H2O, splashed and clinging to my body? You would do well to remember that Mrs. Carson. You owe me."

Elsie chuckled quite blatantly in his face. "I do recall apologizing all evening and again at night. I believe I have wiped my slate clean. It is your turn. You'll do well to humor me Mr. Carson, or apologies of my kind will be few and far between in the coming days."

She got his attention. He huffed in exasperation, as he did not like losing. Of all the weapons or tactics she could levy against him, she very well knew that this was the one thing that could settle him down. He did not like to go without her attentions and he must heed her warning as serious. She had done it before. Their longest stalemate had been one month. One month without as much as a touch or a caress. He couldn't even remember who had relented at last. All he could recollect from the day the stand-off ended was the intensity and duration of their love-making. While he was tempted to relive the intense sensations from that occasion again, he often thought that one month of abstinence was too long to go without, especially when one was married to this perfect sexual Goddess. They had been married an awful long time, but she improved with age. She owned him completely.

"Oh, Cheer up Charles. If you get soaked again, even if not at my hands, I will find a way to compensate you." She leaned in closer to him and put her hand between his legs. She rubbed slowly, lingering inches from where the result of her actions would be available for all to see. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

He turned to look at her. The blasted woman was playing him well. If he didn't love her so, he would have looked for a way to go off her, as sometimes, her manipulation was infuriating, but he couldn't and wouldn't try. She was like fresh water in the dry desert and he was quite parched. He would never rebuff her advances, but of course, he would never tell her that. Whenever he could, he would allow her to continue with her commentaries and innuendos. It was very entertaining and helped pass the hours when they had a particularly boring surveillance run.

"My sweet, I fear you have done an excellent job of proving your point, but if you continue with your actions, you'll have no choice but to be the one to go, as I will be in no condition to be seen in public. It's your choice, really."

She slowly extricated her hand and looked down to verify what level of damage had been accomplished. None yet. Excellent, she thought.

"As long as we are in agreement then." She turned back, ignoring him and took out her mobile phone to look at incoming emails.

Nothing from Anna since their morning quick conversation. Anna could only explain, based on his bank history, that today would be the day he did the withdrawal, but, they did not know at what time he might show up and Anna could not even give them a heads up. It was usually between noon and 2pm. Elsie looked at her watch. It was 12:10pm. Anna mentioned that she would try to place a GPS signal on his car, but that she would be away in the hangar and didn't think that she could manage it. Since she hadn't contacted them and their radar was showing empty, that was a conclusive indicator that they would revert to old fashioned ways. They would just wait.

They were parked right in front and they did not need to do any drastic costumes. Elsie would don her dark glasses in the car and Charles would wear a flat checkered cap, hiding as much of his top hair as possible. Unless Anthony showed up with Vera, which was unlikely, there was no concern regarding his ability to detect them. Anna said he was quite distractable. As soon as they saw him either pull up and park in any of the empty spaces around them or come from the corner, Charles would leave the car, making sure to be behind him. He would get in line with him and hopefully be serviced next to him to overhear his conversation. If they had any luck, he would mention who the money was for.

At 12:45pm, they saw him come around the corner. He must have parked farther away, even when empty spaces were still available closer to the entrance. Charles left his car, pretending to fiddle with his umbrella, giving Anthony time to enter before him. They stood in line a few minutes. Charles was dripping water around him. How improper of him to not have scooped up one of those umbrella bags provided at the entrance. Elsie would have his guts for garters for making a mess in such a public place, but he didn't want to risk anybody else getting behind his target. His concern and fret lasted for only a minute, as both he and Anthony were called within seconds of each other. Just as he wanted, they were standing next to adjoined cashiers. It did not dawn on him, until he was in line and being called, that he didn't have an account at the bank, rendering him without a task to have fulfilled. In order to look legitimate, he decided to ask the cashier to explain the benefits of their bank versus the competition. That should keep them entertained a few minutes. He quickly made his request to the young lady. She looked like she was no older than a 15 years and was wearing a nose ring. When did proper society mainstream these fads, allowing them into the workplace? She also had purple highlights in her hair and heavy black makeup. Whatever, he thought. If she were intent on looking anti-social, it was not his problem… As she started to drone on, he strained to overhear what his neighbors were saying. He leaned a little too much into their side so that he could listen properly, yet, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He asked for a banker's draft payable to cash, in the same amount he usually requested. There were no highlights to the conversation that could prove helpful to him.

"Sir, did you hear anything I said?" The modern looking cashier snapped at him. Her voice was irritated that he had ignored her. "You don't look like you are really interested in what I am saying." Her comments were loud enough that the neighboring cashier turned their way. Anthony didn't seem to hear. Were manners no longer taught in school? He wondered why somebody as young as herself would bring such attention to them.

"I heard you fine, thank you." He tried to be as polite as possible, even when she had been incredibly rude.

"No, I don't think you did." She smiled slyly, as if she knew a secret. She leaned in slightly; lowering her voice, although that only meant her statement did not boom across the premises. It still resounded quite loudly. "Why don't you just admit to me that you have the hots for him and that you are trying to get a piece of his arse? He's a good lookin' bloke. I wouldn't blame you for wanting some of that."

Charles Carson had never felt so humiliated in his life. He felt a warm flush overcome him, the embarrassment too much for his masculine sensibilities. She also said it out loud. Very loud. Anthony could have heard, and then it would have been worse. Was she getting back at him for ignoring her? He shuddered. Him, a homosexual? What was she thinking? How insolent of her to suggest such a thing. He raised his eyebrows, clearly not amused at the direction that the conversation was heading.

"No, that is not it, but thank you." He measured his tone of voice to stop the incident from escalating, but it was laced with a biting alacrity. He could not feign his displeasure.

"Dude, you're almost standing in the next position. You are obviously attracted to him. Don't deny yourself this. If it's what you're feeling, just go with the flow. I'm a good matchmaker. I can play along and even introduce you."

She looked very eager and honest, so, he supposed, she was only trying to help. Some people, probably of her generation, would likely appreciate that; not this sixty something red blooded male who worshipped his wife's body. God, he was going to need a lot of Elsie tonight to rid him of the thoughts that had been suggested.

"Anthony," she called out playfully. She had intentionally lowered her voice, to test his resolve, not quite wanting to interrupt him and the other cashier. She must have tended to him before, because she knew his name. This was not good. He needed to get out of there.

"I appreciate the offer, but no." With that, he left, conscious that Anthony had almost finished his transaction too. He exited the premises before the taunting girl could embarrass him further. Elsie looked at him with confusion. She was obviously expecting Anthony to come out first. He got in the car.

"You are all flustered Charles. What is the matter?"

"Nothing. Just go park around the corner from where he came. He is almost finished and we may observe him better." She did as she was told, and managed to park a little ahead of what they surmised was his vehicle. They had looked at his dossier that Joe had sent them weeks ago and it matched the records they had.

A few minutes later, he approached it, entered and took off slowly down the street. They trailed him quietly for no more than five minutes when he turned into a residential road. They parked a block away from where they saw him stop. Elsie continued the pursuit on foot, staying on the other side of the street. She arrived in time to see a woman open the door and take an envelope. She couldn't hear their conversation, she was too far, but she snapped several pictures with her mobile. The pictures of the woman were too far to get a face, but Elsie could discern that the woman looked in her late twenties or early thirties and was blonde. For the time of day it was, she was still in a robe. The house was a two story brownstone, with a small garden out front. There was a pram, sheltered from the rain by the same awning Anthony was standing under while he and the woman conversed. Soon enough, he shook her hand and left.

They had a lead in this mystery Anna had handed to them. They had an address and a picture. It felt good when things worked in their favor.

* * *

><p>Vera was bored. With Angie, or whatever her name was, working in the hangar, she actually had to get her own cup of tea, as her lame husband had empowered the rest of the staff to deny her. For some reason, he had not done the same to the intern and the girl would go get it whenever she asked. She had a purpose, at least. She wasn't entirely useless, regardless of what Sarah thought. On her way back from getting her afternoon dose, she motioned to Thomas to follow her and he did as she requested.<p>

"What's that? Getting your own cup?" Thomas grinned, trying to amuse Vera.

"Well, the intern isn't here and you've all gotten too cheeky on me. What's one to do if nobody cares enough to pamper me?"

They made it to the entry of the office, when they saw Anna coming from the outside.

"Speak of the devil." She wanted his opinion on several matters. "What do you think of that one?" she asked very casually, tilting her head in the direction where Anna was walking so that Thomas knew who she was referring to.

To make sure they could talk, they moved away from the door frame and sat at her desk. When they were sure they were out of earshot, Thomas gave his opinion. "A little over eager if you ask me, but, she's not gotten into my business, so, I have no words against her. Not yet. "

"I wonder though…" Vera crossed her arms across her chest, deep in thought. She didn't finish her sentence, but Thomas knew what she was thinking.

"Don't tell me you let O'Brien get to you. Yesterday was a fluke. The little girl wanted her to go."

Vera was looking intently at the door.

"Yes, I fully agree that her participation yesterday was not planned. It was a surprise. But you weren't looking at my husband's face when she was invited to come or at it again when she answered she would. Sarah's comments did help put that into perspective for me."

Thomas' eyes opened wide at the implication. Her statement left him reeling. "Are you saying, what I think you are saying?"

"Oh, I don't know about her. I've not given her a second thought since she got here. But him, after so many years together, I think I can recognize all his moods. There was a spark of excitement. I would say my husband is sweet on her."

Thomas still couldn't erase the surprised look from his face that her first comment generated. Vera continued with her thoughts and Thomas struggled to recuperate. "That could be useful, getting him into a compromising situation with her, but I can already see the Alps, so it's not necessary right now."

Thomas burst out laughing and she joined in. "What do you intend to do about it Vera?"

She lowered her voice, not wanting all of her statement to be heard. "Nothing for the moment. He's old and decrepit and she's what, 20? He's proving once again what a pervert he is. He couldn't perform with me anymore, so he is making himself feel young by going after girls fresh out of their nappies. It would be quite enjoyable to see his humiliation at being rebuffed by somebody half his age. And if she didn't rebuff him because, for some reason, she has a Daddy complex and is attracted to old men, I'd love to see his humiliation as she realizes that he'll be needing the use of little blue pills to get it on." She started cackling to herself, now at full volume, very amused at what she was saying. Thomas joined in as well.

When she finally settled down, she added, "Oh, what joy that would be, but, he'll not try anything, as I could take the company away from him in a heartbeat. He'll just mope around. That is what he always does."

* * *

><p>"What are those two going on about?" Gwen rolled her eyes, as Anna approached her. She lowered her voice so only Anna could hear. "You would think that as the owner, she would set an example." The loud sound of Vera and Thomas laughing echoed through the office. Even Sarah looked annoyed and that was saying something.<p>

Anna answered with her eyes, nodding slowly and agreeing wholeheartedly. Internally, she was glad that they were so loud. The device she had installed just last night would surely capture all of their conversation perfectly. She grinned, but, aware that she had so much to do at the hangar, she moved on to what she really was there for. "Tom told me you needed to see me."

Gwen handed her a brown paper bag. "Yes. This is your itinerary, your electronic train ticket, the information for the hotel we will be staying at, your Bates Airlift logo shirts to wear at the event and the dates and times that we are expected to be at the Bates Airlift stand. It's all in there, but if you have any questions, you can call me at any time during the weekend. You have my number. I recommend you take some skirts that match the shirts for a simple uniform and bring comfortable, but businesslike shoes, because we will be standing almost all day and for several days….. and don't forget to pack leisure wear for the night. We will go out to a pub or do something fun. It's not every day that two single girls are let loose in London and we will not be grandmothers about it….…"

They could still hear Thomas and Vera in the background, laughing louder if possible. They ignored the noise to concentrate on themselves.

Gwen hardly took a breath during the monologue and she was starting to remind Anna of Anthony Strallan. Almost, but not quite. Nobody could talk like Anthony did. Anna grinned. Gwen was so very enthusiastic that she passed it on to Anna very easily. Anna would admit that she was excited about this excursion too.

"Alright. I need to head back because we still have much to do, but I'll call you." Anna backed away, without looking where she was going. She really did not want Tom or William to think that she was taking more time than was necessary. Before she could realize it, she had backed straight into Mr. Bates who came charging out of his office. No doubt, to remedy the noise that was being made. He did not expect her either. The impact was such that Anna bounced against him, a couple of feet, also dropping the parcel that Gwen had just given her. She almost fell, but managed to hold on to the wall. He, a much solid form, was able to stand his ground.

The look he gave her, said it all. He was horrified. He muttered a quick sorry and they both reached down to upright the contents that had spilled to the ground. He could not even look at her. Had this happened before their kiss, Anna believed that he would have joked about it and been jovial. Now, he just didn't know what to say or how to act around her. She really didn't think she knew either. He was making it very hard for her too. It would have been easier if they hadn't kissed at all.

When the parcel was completely put together, and to avoid Gwen or Sarah questioning their actions, Anna said a curt "Thank You" and "Sorry" and went on her way. From a distance, and behind her, she could hear him attend to what had brought him out of the office in the first place.

"Thomas, have you no work to do?"

* * *

><p>Two surveillance runs in one day. Charles "Pops" Carson could go without them if he had a say in the matter. Truth be told, he was getting tired of being out at all hours of the night, always needing to be ready at any given moment. He had often contemplated letting the business go and passing it on to Anna. His old bones were starting to protest. He would much rather sit at a reclining chair with a brew, watching whatever show Elsie was hooked on, than this lifestyle of theirs. They had not been expecting to do the noon run on Anthony Strallan, and that added to his burden. They had only really intended to trail Vera again in the evening and this double task had left him tired and moody. That and he needed his wife desperately. She had rebuffed him so far, but he needed her so he could forget the bank incident and it would be hours before they could get together.<p>

If Vera were sticking to her routine, today would be the day that she did the charade of circling the city to come back to where she had started. They hid close to the entrance to the Park and Ride and waited to see if she would park there again. It was raining heavily now and they wondered if she would break her routine in lieu of comfort and protection from the downpour. The GPS signal weakened in the rain, the device inconveniently soaked thoroughly. It was waterproof, but the manufacturer probably did not envision the type of rain that had fallen all day in Yorkshire. The reception of the signal had been spotty, so, they were at Vera's mercy that evening. They wouldn't know until she actually drove in. They prayed for her to arrive and when she did, they praised the Lord. They really did want to wrap up this case soon. They recognized her small Fiat entering the lot and they waited until they saw her descend and actually get on the bus. She was carrying a rather large umbrella, thus, she was ready for her trek. Similar to a postman's perseverance, a little bit of rain would not stop her.

They parked the car in the lot next to the SG Petch dealership at a darker corner. The facility closed at 7:00pm and it was already 8:00pm, so, they did not expect to see anybody. Next to the dealership there was a Go Kart facility and a Waterworks complex that opened until 9:00pm. There was movement in that direction. He would stay in the car in case they needed to follow somebody, but he would be observing her arrival with his binoculars and providing Elsie with tips. They agreed to have Elsie be the "trailer" again. Neither of them was small and agile, but, at least she was not as tall as him. She could hide when needed much better than he could. She had hoped to dress all in black, hoping to camouflage herself better in the darkness. Unfortunately, her rain coat was not that hue, so, her elaborate stealth outfit was interrupted by the silver gray of her deflective layer. It would have to do. She would have to get another one soon if their surveillance sessions continued to be this adventurous. For now, she modified her outfit to look a bit derelict and homeless. She would wear a black rubbish bag over her coat, feigning poverty. She wore the frumpiest and widest brimmed hat she could find to shield some of the rain and she fashioned a plastic protective liner on top of it from a transparent grocery bag. Her feet would get certifiably muddy and water logged if she wore normal shoes, so she donned the thickest socks she had and wore mismatched water boots. It was not anything a regular Yorkshire citizen would wear. Maybe somebody in London, she thought. She looked positively crazy and chuckled. Her prop was a grocery bag with aluminum cans, pretending she was collecting and recycling. Beneath the plastic rubbish bag she also carried her accessory carryall that housed her camera, her different identity cards, bus passes, money, binoculars, pepper spray, a few props and disguise solutions and lastly, a knife, in case she ever got into any trouble.

When Charles saw her, before they had even left home, he ran his hand underneath the plastic liner, groping her bottom. "I've never made love to you as a crazy, society cast off." He kissed her neck in the small patch of skin that was not hidden by the plastic bag over her head. He felt her react. It was lucky for him the small patch he found was highly sensitive. He brought her closer, rubbish bag and all. This was the one perk of their line of work that he enjoyed. Roleplaying was a huge favorite of theirs. They had the props and often used them.

She pushed him back gently. "My, My. Somebody's eager. You've been frisky all afternoon. You'll have to wait until we're back, as I am not taking this off and putting this on again." He tried to get close to her again and she pushed him away. She raised her eyebrow, signaling she meant business.

An hour later, she was in position, standing at the back of the car lot, bordering the Go Kart facility, hanging about the rubbish bins and trying to look inconspicuous. Depending on what way Vera would walk, she was ready to track her on the ground.

When Elsie was starting to lose patience, Pops messaged her – TARGET ARRIVED. ENTERING CAR LOT. She ducked behind the rubbish bin and for a tiny moment, appreciated that the rain was washing away all of the fouls smells she supposed she would have inhaled had it been dry out. She scanned the rows and rows of different automobiles with her binoculars. They were all makes and models. This lot specialized in pre-owned vehicles, as there were newer models mixed in with older ones. There were even vehicles for tradesmen – vans and mini lorries. Vera was probably not here to do any car shopping.

It was a large lot and she could finally see Vera, protected beneath her large umbrella, making her way towards the lot's administrative and Sales offices. Elsie ducked behind cars, moving in the general direction of the facility. The aluminum cans in her prop bag rattled as she moved forward and she dove to the ground when Vera turned, perhaps sensing she was being followed. Elsie was far enough away to not be seen and with the noise of the rain, the rattle of the cans would be lost in the wind, so, it was probably Vera's guilty conscience making her nervous; not Elsie's movement. Elsie rubbed at the palm of her hands, the gravel having broken her skin as she dove forward. It was not too bad. She had experienced worse. She was lucky there was no dirt, so she was not muddy, only a lot more wet than when she started. She peered out from the side of the car she was hidden behind and she could still see Vera, who had now continued to walk.

Suddenly, Vera stopped at the back of a white van, about a row from the main office entryway. Elsie was at an odd angle, and at a safe distance, but Vera's hand motion indicated that she was knocking. She tried the latch that opened the back door too and it was closed. Vera peeked into the window and pouted. Elsie couldn't move from where she was, but decided to snap a few pictures to remember the exact vehicle she had walked to. She put her camera away, without keeping her eyes off of Vera. The woman looked pensive and decided to walk towards the administrative offices entryway. The architecture of the nondescript building had some ledging that provided better protection than her umbrella.

Elsie messaged Charles while Vera took out her mobile. TARGET WAITING FOR SOMEONE. BE ON THE LOOKOUT. Vera was fidgeting with her mobile. She raised the device upwards, trying to catch a better signal. The rain was probably causing much interference for her, but Elsie couldn't understand why. Her mobile was working fine and her messaging with Charles had not been interrupted. It must be a different mobile service provider, she mused, and continued to watch Vera get ever more flustered. Vera looked like she got through to someone. She held the device to her ear and used her other hand to cup the other side of the mobile, probably in an attempt to lessen the amount of noise she was getting. When she finished the conversation, she stored the phone and started walking away. Not knowing if her liaison point was changing, or if her "date" for the evening had not made it, Elsie would continue to follow her. She remained in her position until she could determine the route Vera would take and took advantage of this time to message Charles. TARGET LEAVING. STAND-BY.

Vera came incredibly close to her, but Elsie remained crouched behind a smaller vehicle and was not seen. She messaged Charles again. TARGET EXITING THROUGH BACK TOWARDS HER CAR. Little by little, Elsie moved forward until she was at the back corner of the lot, facing the carpark of the Go Kart facility. Vera kept to the periphery of that lot as well, and appeared as if she were really heading towards her car. She received a message from Charles. I RELOCATED. TARGET VISIBLE FROM WATERWORKS LOT. Oh, Thank God, thought Elsie. She wouldn't have to walk all the way back. Another message came to her. COME QUICK TO FOLLOW HER. Elsie was moving as quickly as she could without being detected. She had already disposed of the aluminum cans, but she could not find Charles. He must have parked somewhere to be hidden so Vera did not see him. He was just too concealed and she couldn't see him either. Another message followed. TARGET IN CAR. WHERE ARE YOU?

Elsie replied. CANT SEE YOU. JUST GO.

* * *

><p>"Don't die on me please. I promise to take you to the mechanic tomorrow…," Anna implored, losing the battle with her car. She should have gotten a newer model years ago, she could afford it, but she could not let this car go. She swore her mother's essence was with her every time she drove it anywhere. It was where she did her best thinking and no doubt that was due to Joanne Smith's lingering presence.<p>

"Beep," another email entered her personal inbox. She had been getting them all day. She had already listened to a couple of Anthony's non-important calls while hiding behind Maggie, who was moved back to her space in the hanger, but she had not had a chance to listen to any others at any other time during the day. On her final day working with Tom and William, she had helped the men polish and buff Audrey's exterior, had shined all of the rotor blades, had touched up the nicks and paint discolorations and had helped reseal all of the windows. She wasn't sure there was such a thing as a new helicopter smell, but if it did exist, this bird would have it. One whole week and she was resplandecent, completely tested, recalibrated, updated and cleaned. It was down to the wire, the whole team finishing at the very end of the day. With all of the tasks to be done, she couldn't very well disappear to listen in to every conversation. Tom and William had made her a part of their team and she did not want to let them down. She had deferred her espionage task until she could be alone, specifically in her car. Another beep alerted her to another incoming message. She looked at the time. No doubt, there must be a transmission delay, as she was sure all three of her voice-tap targets had already gone home for the evening. She would get to them just as soon as she could get the car to start again. She had plenty of time on her drive home to go through them. If she could only get the ignition going. She patted the dashboard of the car lovingly. Maybe kindness would help.

She was thrilled when that seemed to work and the car started again, but her happiness was short lived. It managed to go 500 feet, and then stalled again, amid a loud internal boom in the engine. The explosion-like noise sounded very final. She tried the ignition again and again, but it was completely dead. She put her forehead against the cool window. It was raining heavily right now. What was she supposed to do? The easiest thing for everybody would be for her to hire a towing service to take her closer to civilization. Right now, she was far away from anything, bordered by the empty green fields that surrounded the aviation corridor where the Bates Airlift compound resided. That would be the closest place to return to, only having driven about five minutes before this fiasco. She could walk there in maybe 20 minutes, but, then what? She would be soaked and she would get nothing out of it. Mary was working, and Elsie and Pops were trailing Vera. She had a couple of other friends she could call, but she did not feel right about that. She hadn't called any of her friends in a while, especially not since joining Bates Airlift. It would seem very unfair of her to reach out only when she needed them. Gwen maybe? Anna had not been to her home yet, but they had gone for afternoon tea once and exchanged personal phone numbers. She had already received a couple of personal texts from the redhead in the last couple of weeks. She was sure they were on the track to becoming good friends outside of their jobs. If Gwen could give her a ride to her flat, she would leave the car on the road. The Carson agency knew a man who owned a towing service within town. An ex-customer of theirs, she was sure she could get him to send somebody out without her needing to be there.

Headlights from another car enveloped her as she flipped through her address book, looking for "Dawson". The lights came to a standstill behind her. With the heavy rain, she couldn't really see who it was and became nervous. Her windows had become foggy. This was Yorkshire, it was very safe, but one could never be too sure. On instinct, she bolted all the car doors and reached into her handbag for her can of pepper spray. She could see a tall figure, under an umbrella, approaching her. She took her mobile, ready to dial 999 if need be.

The man rapped on her window. She could hear a faint "Anna". She wiped the windows with a tissue napkin and made out the silhouette of Mr. Bates. She was equal parts filled with excitement and dread. Of all people who could come to her aid, she was not expecting him. With the way he had been acting of late, she would have thought that it would have been easier for him to drive by. She rolled down the window slightly so they could speak. Luckily, the wide umbrella shielded any rain from coming in.

"I recognized your car. Are you in trouble?" His voice was clear, but Anna could discern that he was anxious. He was a reluctant knight in shining armor. Where was his bravado from yesterday?

"I am. My car just died on me. I was about to call Gwen for a lift." She did not want him to feel like he had to rescue her. After all, she did have a plan before he arrived. She was not a complete damsel in distress. This could give him a way out of helping her if he wished.

"No need to call Gwen. I can help you. Can you pop the hood of the car? Let me see what the problem is." He looked very committed. As a pilot, he probably knew a lot about mechanics. Still, she would rather ask. This was probably the last thing he wanted to do.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose on you. You must have been on your way home." She said that as she looked for the lever that would dislodge the front.

"Yes, I was on my way home and that means I don't have anywhere to be. I am sure. Let's just see how big a problem we are facing." With his assurance in place, she pulled the lever and even though she couldn't see it or hear it, she noticed him turning towards the front. She opened the car door, preparing herself to get wet, as she foolishly did not carry an umbrella with her, when she was stopped by his loud voice that was trying to be overheard through the loud downpour. "Stay inside," he boomed, and she closed the door immediately. For a few minutes, she saw his outline through the foggy window as he went back to his own car and opened the boot, taking out what she surmised were tools. He was back instantly and he had turned on a flash light. She could feel the slight vibrations made by whatever parts he was tinkering with. Well, it could be that or the rain itself, which was still coming down mercilessly. She wished she could see better through this haze. He was probably very sexy, working on the car. The forces of nature were not allowing her to look at him work. Sometimes, nature could be cruel.

Within a few more minutes, he closed the hood of the car, the thud sound it made startling Anna, as she was daydreaming, envisioning Mr. Bates as a mechanic, with rolled up sleeves, his muscles showing and his very luxurious rump in the air. She was unfortunately on the wrong side of him to get that view. She took a breath to calm herself and rolled down the window again to listen to his verdict. He did not look too excited.

"I'm sorry Anna. We won't be able to do anything tonight. One of your sparkplugs is burnt out."

She puckered her lips and sighed loudly. Now what?

"Why don't I drive you home? We can have a tow truck pick up the car and leave it at the compound. It is an easy part to purchase. I can have one on Monday morning and while you are in London with Gwen, Tom or William can replace it."

A small smile appeared on Anna's lips. He had it all figured out. She didn't mind admitting that it really did solve all her problems. Except for the tiny issue of them being seen together. That was not advisable at all.

"That sounds like a perfect plan, but we can't be seen together. Why don't I call a cab and you can wait with me until they arrive?"

"No, I offered to take you home. This is a perfectly plausible story. Your car is the evidence. There is no wrongdoing here and you do work at Bates Airlift. I would do this for anybody on the team that needed the help."

Anna shrugged. This was nature being cruel again. She wanted to go with him. It would solve all her problems. It would also create more. They had yet to talk about the kiss and judging from his reaction to it all, this could be a very frosty ride home. She couldn't bear it if he didn't acknowledge it, or worse, shrugged it off. It had meant something, she was sure of it. Also, if anybody discovered them, even with the innocent nature of this rendezvous, she could jeopardize all of her hard work. She didn't know what was worse – potentially compromising the investigation by being together, or discovering that maybe he wasn't the man she thought he might be. Her entire opinion about him depended on this one moment with him.

If she was going to do it, she needed to be sure that at least the investigation was not impacted.

"I appreciate it, but before we go anywhere, I need to scan your car in case there is any GPS trackers attached to it."

Mr. Bates looked taken aback. "You think I am being followed?"

"You've expressed that concern before and if it were something that Vera is doing, I definitely don't want my address as a point of interest in anybody's investigation. My cover would be blown and it would do you no good."

He nodded, comprehending that she made sense. The business reason was important, as the personal one. They weren't together, not in any official capacity, but all Vera needed was doubt and she could make a case out of nothing. Or something. He didn't know yet what he and Anna had.

Anna opened her car door. "I'll need to get something from the boot." He stepped forward to shield her from the rain and cover her with the umbrella. She stepped in as close as possible, while maintaining propriety. It was large enough for two, but neither of them ignored the fact that this was the closest they'd been together since their kiss. Even with the attempt at propriety, with the umbrella's limited coverage span, their sides touching was inevitable. They continuously bumped into each other in the short trek to the boot. It could have been the humidity in the air, or the few drops of water that eluded the umbrella and collected on her body, but Anna was sure it was his body heat that had her flustered. Best to get this task done quickly so that she could regain her composure.

She took out a black case and opened it, revealing several devices. Mr. Bates was impressed. She was well stocked with spying paraphernalia. From the quick look, he could only really discern a pair of very professional binoculars and something else that looked like night goggles. He couldn't name the rest of the gadgets.

"I have a Radio Frequency detector that will let us know if anything is attached." Of Course, how practical of her, he thought. Being a pilot, he understood these technologies well. "Its internal battery ought to hold us through this exercise, although I've not had a chance to recharge it since the last use. If not, I have the cable adaptors to power it through your engine's battery." Hearing her talk was turning him on. "GPS devices emit signals. That is how the data is transported back to whoever is tracking, so, instead of getting oneself dirty trying to manually explore the wheel wells and underside carriage, all you need is 10 to 15 minutes of patience and this little screen." God help him. She sounded so sexy, going on about the process. She finished connecting everything and signaled for him to follow her. They walked along the periphery of his vehicle slowly, as she held the device with both hands. It was natural; neither knowing how it happened exactly, that he came to walk behind her, trying to provide his umbrella's protection to both Anna and the device. It meant he was getting wet. It also meant they were very close. They were drawn to each other.

Anna could feel his hot breath on her ear and cheek as he walked behind her. The two times she had changed her pace, he had overstepped, causing him to bump against her frame. She thanked the Lord that her device could not pick up her body's electric surges, because the needle on the detector would be jumping off the screen. He was making her breath with difficulty.

"What is it supposed to do?" he asked, after about ten minutes of going around the car. He knew how it worked, but he wanted to hear her talk. The closeness between them was slowly eroding his inhibitions. He had accidentally brushed up to her twice already and he could hear her breath hitch. Feelings were stirring at the pit of his stomach. It was making him forget how risky a connection between them could be. "The device is working fine and I've not picked up anything yet. The standard is 15 minutes, as some older generation GPS devices take that long for transmission." He leaned in closer to look over her shoulder at the needle. "I see," he answered, as they both stood paralyzed, feeling each other completely now.

Anna was tempted to just turn around and kiss him. She breathed in, willing rationality take over. She would not do that. She couldn't. It took a supreme effort, but when she was finished with the device, she stepped forward and turned to face him. "All finished. No GPS. We can go now."

He was aware that Anna had put a stop to their contact. She was right. It only took a few more minutes for her to pack her things and set them in the backseat of his car. She explained that she would never leave her tools, especially if the car were being towed, or being worked on by somebody. It would bring too many questions if somebody were nosy enough to open her personal belongings.

Soon enough, they were on the road to her house. Neither of them said anything for a while.

"Ripon, right?"

"Yes, about two blocks from the pub. Moorside Road. I'll tell you how when we get closer."

A moment ago, her insides were aflame by his closeness. Now, a glacier sat between them as they made their way to her house. The boiling blood in her veins froze over. She tried to lighten the mood. Maybe that would help. She made a few trivial remarks, to distract their uneasiness, but he had not picked up on her cues and her efforts went nowhere. He politely answered, but did not engage further. She must have read him wrong, must have taken the kiss for more than it was. The looks and the glances, their holding hands, it was all part of the fairytale.

The silence was giving John time to think. This is when he ought to talk with her. He may not have another opportunity such as this. It was time to heed Rob's advice. Plain and unmistakable terms, he had said. How hard could it be? - Harder than he thought. He had several false starts and couldn't get the words out. Anna chatted with him about something trivial, she was making small talk, but he couldn't handle it. He didn't remember what he answered. He sensed she was disappointed. He was such a fool. He mustered his courage again. He breathed in. He would talk to her now.

"Turn here," Anna said and it broke his concentration. They were already in Ripon. He hadn't noticed how close they were. He looked to the side and recognized they were on the main road in town. Driving so often to Rob's pub meant he didn't need to pay much attention to the route. He could drive there with his eyes closed and unfortunately for him, this miscalculation would be costly. His time with her was almost up.

She told him to stop. They were in front of her flat. It was a three story apartment building, not too large, with a nice stone path to the front entrance. They were of old construction, but well kept. It was a safe neighborhood and this pleased him. It was still raining. He would walk her to her front door. She pointed to a corner unit on the second floor, indicating which one was hers and Mary's. He would try to remember that in case he needed to come here again. He had just thought about coming here again…. Was he daft?

"I'll walk you to the front, so you don't get wet." He was finally able to say something after the silent drive and Anna wasn't sure she wanted that from him. She could make the quick dash to her front door on her own. She was intending to take a relaxing bath anyway. Getting wet was not an inconvenience.

"You needn't bother. It's not far and I'll be quick about it." Her voice was not the usual sweet tone he was used to. He recognized frustration and she didn't look at him while she said it. She reached for the gadget case resting on the back seat. He reached for his umbrella too, also on the back seat. Their hands touched again and Anna pulled back, waiting for him to finish. His heart sunk when she did that. He was alienating her by not saying anything. He couldn't have her, but he could not afford to lose her either. He opened the door and the umbrella almost at the same time, hurrying before she actually left on her own. He was ready by the time she got her things in order.

It was a short walk. She unlocked the door to the foyer area. His heart was racing. If he didn't say something now, he might lose her forever.

"Well, Thank You. I'll see you when we get back from London and you'll have an update in dropbox by tomorrow." She smiled, and then turned to leave.

"Anna, wait." He could barely get it out. He reached for her wrist, hoping to stop her in case she hadn't heard him.

She turned; surprised that he had said something at all. She looked down to her hand, realizing that he was touching her. That single sensation ignited her internal fire again. It couldn't have been more than a second or two of time lapsing, before she looked up at him. His eyes were full of agony. She stepped forward until they were incredibly close. He hadn't let go of her wrist.

"Yes?" she said in the same muted tone he had used. The tension was too palpable to articulate more than one word. He said nothing, but looked down at her lips. She wet them in anticipation…. And then he kissed her. She couldn't say it was a surprise given his tortured look, but in the middle of it all, he had somehow managed to put his arm around her waist, bringing her slightly closer. She had reciprocated the silent action, putting her hands on his shoulders, anchoring herself firmly. It wasn't deep and she could sense he was being respectful, yet it was the most romantic kiss she had ever experienced. He had raised one hand to cup her cheek. It was honest in emotion, and she gave into it freely. She felt like melting in his arms, and she brought herself closer to him. She would worry about the consequences later.

Before Vera, he had dated and kissed many women. As a soldier, women fell at his feet and he took what they offered. That was a long time ago, and he couldn't remember that any of those kisses or caresses he shared with them had been as sweet as this moment was. He could feel Anna tremble as he held her close and it mirrored the emotion he was feeling himself. This kiss was so perfect and she was just as incredible. Her lips were soft and he couldn't get enough of them. He hadn't felt like this, joyous, or simply happy, in such a long time and it was because of her. She gave him hope.

They pulled away when they needed air. He kissed her forehead, and then looked down at her. He was still holding her close and she had positioned her hands to lie flat against his chest.

"I feel lost," he finally added, when her eyes begged him to say something. "I could kiss you all night, but we shouldn't."

He was echoing her feelings. She was having an internal moral dilemma herself. If he kissed her again, she would not pull away. She would drag him upstairs. She did not have the strength to pull away from him. It did not matter that she knew how many things were wrong with that.

"Yesterday, with Haley, … That was real, wasn't it?" she asked demurely. Her heart stopped as she waited for him to answer. It had to be real. She felt it. Her instincts couldn't be that bad to read his intentions wrong.

"Yes, it was real. I really wanted to kiss you." He followed up the comment by caressing her cheek with his free hand. "I am sure that I don't have to repeat all of the reasons why this is not really appropriate."

"No," she agreed. She knew them all too well. "You are married, you are my client and you have much to lose. Those are pretty powerful reasons." She looked down in defeat, not able to face him.

His hand lifted her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. "I may not be married for long. That's up to you to fix." That seemed like an odd statement to make. Anna didn't dwell on it too long. It really was her problem as his private investigator. That was why he hired her.

"So what now?" she asked.

"I don't know." He had much confusion in his eyes. "We wait and see until things become clearer. I don't have any other ideas." She nodded in understanding. There was really nothing else to do, as she couldn't just disappear from his life. She had a job to do.

"I should probably go, before anybody sees us." He stopped to think for a moment and before Anna could react any further, he brought his lips close to hers. "I think we can do this one more time before I leave, though." With his hand still firmly planted on her cheek, he brought her forward again. This time, they both deepened the kiss, realizing that this was a farewell of sorts. She opened up to him and the sensations she was creating in him were unlike any he had ever experienced. When he felt his body reacting, she pulled away and ran towards the stairs. He was thankful she hadn't experienced his embarrassment, but was sad to see her go. He stayed until he saw her disappear. Before she did, she turned to look at him one more time and then she was gone.

As his fingers outlined the lips that had just felt divinity on earth, it dawned on him that he had not been as explicit as he wanted. Robert had said clear, plain and unmistakable terms. He couldn't remember what he said, but it was far from it.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope I didn't offend anybody with Charles' statements at the bank. I really tried to channel what a sixty year old would say and I think I toned it down….**

**I appreciate all of those lovely readers who say my long chapters are not a problem. This was almost 16K. The longest one yet…. Thank you for all the reviews. It means the world to me to know that my efforts are being enjoyed. Please tell me what you think about this chapter?**


	9. Oil and Gas

**I don't want to give away part of the story in the author notes, but, I must say that there is a slight trigger warning for this chapter, in the section where Anna takes Richard's laptop to put away, about ¾ of the way down. If you don't want to read it, you can skip it. It is a pivotal section in the story, though, so, if you don't want to read it, but want to follow along later, you can write me and I will explain what happens. This story does not follow cannon, so, it is not a rehash of 4x03. I will never write something that is.**

**Not a lot of Banna either. **

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><p>Swoosh, was the sound the tracks of the train made as they took a curve at high-speed. It was also the sound that her heart mimicked as it beat excitedly when thought of him even now. Three kisses in two days, each one full of promise and desire and she was just as excited now as she was two days ago. Anna couldn't contain the elated feeling and the desire from coming forward. As she remembered those sensations that coursed through her veins, she couldn't help but bring her fingers to her lips. She could still feel his lips on hers; she could still feel him pressed against her. Blinded by the sensations she was feelings then, she regretted not asking him the questions she should have. The conversation was limited to stating all the reasons why they shouldn't be together, but he mentioned no plan. She had not thought to ask, still reeling from his kiss. She felt foolish now, as she was no closer to knowing where they stood than she was after their first contact. All she could ascertain was that he was really good at kissing and she wanted to do it again.<p>

"You look like you're remembering something pleasant." Gwen was giving this appraisal from her seat in front of Anna. She was eager for a response.

Anna felt a rush of blood of embarrassment.

"Yes, something from a long time ago." She lied. "Nothing worth mentioning." She lied again. "How are you holding up?" She deflected the conversation away from herself. Gwen needed the support anyway.

They were on the 8am morning train from York, arriving in Charing Cross station in London at a quarter after 10. Richard decided to drive there himself, stating he preferred the freedom of taking his own car. That and he had many boxes to haul - the whole Bates Airlift stand that needed to be put together by 2pm. Anna felt relieved they didn't have to drive with him. She preferred the First class seat that had been purchased for her. It would be more relaxing and when she knew Gwen was distracted, she could look at some of the documents she had, maybe even pretend to be enjoying music on her mobile and then listen to whatever new conversations came her way. She might go through the others already in her inventory again, to listen for hidden hints she may have missed.

Gwen had been nervous the entire weekend. They had shared a couple of calls to coordinate wardrobes and Anna was aware that Gwen had stayed in both Saturday and Sunday, devouring every contract, sales proposal, profitability report and technical information sheet she could. She read all the safety statistics for every helicopter they had in service and compared it to those of their competitors. She wanted to cause a good impression and regardless of Richard's opinion of her, she wanted to excel in this task and make Mr. Bates proud.

Gwen looked nervous. "I don't know if I've done enough to prepare. I keep thinking I should have read something else, or studied something else."

"You'll do fine." Anna was sure she would. She had so much ambition and desire. This girl was destined to succeed and whatever Anna could do to help her, she would. "I don't think there is anything else to read. You've learned all the numbers. You can recite all the benefits by heart. Have you mastered the sensation of flying, describing it somebody else?"

Gwen look mortified. "I should do that, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, you should. But, don't overdo it."

As soon as Gwen put on her headsets and started to recite something in her mind, Anna pulled on her own earphones and started listening to Vera's conversations again.

The woman had some nerve making such bold assertions. John Bates would need blue pills? Implying he was a pervert? Catching on to his feelings for her? She had dared to share that with Thomas, who worked for him. Whether her statements were true or not, belittling him to his staff would only jeopardize the efficient running of the company, of which she was part owner. How she did not see the negative side to her commentary and the impact it could have on her livelihood was amazing. She was so self-serving, she couldn't see the error of her ways and with the amount of time she squandered with Sarah and Thomas, she could only imagine that all of Mr. Bates' private matters were their main topic of conversation. She, herself, did not feel right listening to such things. This was not what she was expecting when she took on recording Vera's conversations. She thought she would listen to the illicit exchanges with her alleged lover. She had heard nothing of the sort yet. She only overheard a call regarding some of her investments that did not make sense - something regarding Switzerland and an Investment Holdings company, Eagle. Vera had asked about the deadline to reinvest her funds. She would have to ask Joe to track what this was, as it had not come up in her initial dossier.

She sighed. This was her job, getting to the bottom of Vera's dalliances, but it was proving harder as the days went by. Instead of the smoking gun, she was made to feel like a stalking, and neurotic girlfriend. There were things she shouldn't be listing to, not with what was happening between her and John. It wasn't fair to him that she knew. She and John weren't together, but, they weren't apart either. She didn't know what they were, and had no right, not really, but that didn't mean she wasn't intrigued. She was - very much so. She was very curious about him, like any person would be about a potential new lover. There was so much she didn't know about him and Vera had implied that he was drawn to younger women. She was younger, so there was some truth to that. Had there been others? Maybe Vera was right. She brushed off that thought. It was Vera painting him in a negative light. All of it was, including her statement about his need for blue pills. It was all about discrediting him. It had to be. If it were true, Anna didn't know how she would react. She refused to believe it.

Vera was also wrong about her age. She wasn't 20. She was 26, almost 27. Anna smiled internally. It made her proud that she appeared younger than she was. It was certainly helpful in her job. She could play a believable teenager when needed. All she had to do was alter her wardrobe and hairdo. They didn't have to know that after her parents died, she couldn't deal with school or her grief and she had taken off the rest of the year with her Godparents' and therapist's blessing, or that before she went to University, she took off a year to learn her Godparents' trade while she determined what it was she wanted to do with her life. It made her an older student, and older than Mary, but it had helped her make decisions on her life objectives and to determine how to spend her inheritance wisely. She didn't regret those choices.

Rather than infuriating herself further, she decided to move on to the others. She had received the comprehensive reports on Alfred Nugent, Tony Gillingham and Michael Gregson, but had not had the time to fully assess their lifestyles and motivations. This was not the place to do so, and she kept those document stored away and out of sight.

She moved on to Richard. None of his conversations revealed anything out of the ordinary. He made several calls regarding the business and a call to wish a nephew a happy birthday. That was it. It was uneventful, really, and a bit disappointing. Up to now, everything about him was very proper, except for her belief that he was lewd underneath all of his dapper dress. She just couldn't prove it yet.

Anthony was another story. He appeared dull on the outside, but as suspected, he called a person before he left the office. "I'm going to the bank now. I'll see you soon." He paused, indicating the other person was speaking. "I'm sorry. I can't do more right now, but I will try. I promise." That was all he had said. He was turning out to be quite mysterious, not dull at all. He also called his mortgage bank and inquired about refinancing his debt to reduce his payments. Everything else was business related.

The paperwork from his office didn't shed a lot of clues initially. The file on J.B. did not reveal anything useful. It was all about John Bates. There were some newspaper clippings featuring him, from some publicity done on the company. There were copies of his Passport and driver's license. A list of all of his personal accounts was also listed and Anna surmised that he kept those for safe keeping. The file on Vera held some paperwork for the same investment firm from her phone call. There was a prospectus for some mutual funds and a spreadsheet with projected growth and earning over one year. It looked like he had done the work on that spreadsheet himself.

The file on E.B was the most enlightening one of all. All of his copies of the cashier's drafts from the bank were stored there. They matched all of Anthony's bank statements perfectly. These must be the initials of the person receiving them. There was also a "Thank You" card signed by E. There was nothing else written in the body of the card, which was odd. Later, when she discovered from Elsie and Pops that Anthony had been trailed to the home of a woman, her own quick search of the address did not reveal the name of the owner and it had been handed over to Joe for his expert search. Joe's information revealed that the flat was owned by a corporation, which meant that the woman was a not an owner, but a tenant. Joe then did another search, cross referencing addresses against several utility companies. Joe always said that the electric company had the worst security in their website and that hacking it was easier than ordering take away. His analogies were always a little off, but Anna guessed what he was saying was true. Since she had started working with them, he could most always find the true registered customer to any address by going to their website first. That search revealed the name Niall Phillips. They weren't sure how relevant the name was when the file in Anthony's office had the initials E.B. It wasn't a match. Anna started to consider that maybe the initials did not stand for a person, maybe a project, but Joe persisted, running the address through some more websites. Niall Phillips appeared on several more until his search for car registrations revealed an Edna Braithwaite with that address. He then searched for her name specifically and it appeared with the same address at a bank. They finally had somebody with the initials EB. Originally, her first assumption was that the B would stand for Bates and that there was a relative out there with those initials, but Mr. Bates dossier stated that he was an only child and both his parents were deceased. His father had also been an only child, thus, there were no other immediate Bates relatives that could share that name. Before they could make any more conjectures, Joe was instructed to find out as much as he could from Edna Braithwaite. They were now waiting to see what he could come up with.

Anna's mobile beeped, alerting her to another conversation having been recorded. She looked at Gwen and the redhead had fallen asleep, probably overstressed from so much worry. That was perfect, and she decided to listen to it.

-"Vera, I want to give you a heads up that Anthony and I will be meeting later today to discuss if we can afford to give the staff a pay raise this year."- It was Mr. Bates himself, having gone to Vera's office.

-"I don't care about that right now. Why don't we talk about where you were last night instead…. You know, Johnny… I am beginning to suspect that you have someone on the side."

-"Don't be ridiculous Vera. There isn't anyone. You know that I like flying at night. I've told you before; it is when I do my best thinking."

-"Are you sure you weren't with Miss Smith? I've seen the way you look at her. Maybe you were warming her up."

-"What are you talking about? Anna Smith is our intern and you should show some respect. I don't look at her and she means nothing to me. I was flying and you know it. You should stop making up stories."

The recording ended with Vera laughing to herself as the sound of a chair being pushed back was heard. She didn't mean anything to him? Anna tried not to cry, Gwen was but a foot away, but a tear escaped her eye regardless. He was talking to Vera and Anna's rational side justified his words because she knew that he would never speak to Vera about her. Still, it was painful to listen to. Coupled with the realization that he had secrets that she did not know about – this was the second time she was aware that he was flying out in the middle of the night – her heart did break a little. Something inside her didn't believe he was flying to think. Was John Bates who he said he was?

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><p>"Achooooooo," Elsie sneezed for the hundredth time. She should be in bed, nursing her cold, but here they were at the SG Petch dealership, pretending to be interested in purchasing a car. When Charles drove off without her, they had both hoped that Vera was changing the rendezvous point with her lover and Charles followed behind. He was disappointed when she drove straight home. Elsie had urged him to go, not willing for them to lose the opportunity. She assumed it was easy enough to call a cab, but, the rain had made for a very busy day and there was some flooding nearby and it had taken almost an hour for a cab to pick her up. By the time she was home, she was soaked and cold. The prolonged exposure had taken its toll and she had a stuffy nose, was sneezing and hade a sore throat. Her body also hurt, but she wasn't sure if that was because of her cold, or from diving her body into the ground to elude Vera. Whatever the reason, it wasn't helping her overall situation. She had spent the weekend in bed, trying to get better. Charles looked absolutely forlorn to find her in no state for them to partake in bedroom activities. He was frisky that evening before their surveillance run and he had come back pretty hot and bothered from the bank. She had promised him some action, but there was no way she could muster enough energy to make it worth his while. The result was a mopey, but sweet Charles who brought her soup. He was very attentive the entire weekend.<p>

She had dragged herself out of bed so that they could investigate the van that Vera had intended to board on Thursday. They were so close to catching her and they needed to be ready. When they were finished with this case she would get more rest. They decided that they needed to see it on the inside. They owned a surveillance van already, and knew what it should look like, but if that was Vera and her lover's hideout, it was worth checking out.

"Can I help you?" The salesman approached them both as they wandered onto the lot. Wanting to look the part, Charles had decided to wear a plaid, long sleeve shirt buttoned to the middle of his belly, with a Leeds team jersey underneath. He added his most worn out pair of jeans and some old work boots he kept around for these situations. He would never wear this type of outfit on his own and never in public, always identifying himself with a more posh wardrobe. He may not be rich, but he always said he had style. He missed his loafers and cashmere jumper.

"Yes. I am an electrician and I would like to look at vehicles for tradesmen. Perhaps a van?" He used the most course accent he could muster. It wouldn't do to have him speak so properly. He looked at Elsie, for her approval. "Yes, a van," she stated. She too, applied a bit of lilt to her pronunciation.

"I have exactly what you need." The short, balding fellow led them towards the section of the lot that housed the trade vans they had mentioned. Elsie immediately recognized their target vehicle, as the identification number matched what they had from their photographs. It was not the unit the salesman wanted to show them.

"Let me show you the Cadillac of vans. This is 2013 model." He had walked right by their target. It was the largest on the lot. Not wanting to be rude, and perhaps to feign mild interest and to be able to make intelligent and distracting questions, they stood patiently as he explained the features of the Fiat Commercial Ducato model 30 SWB. Elsie focused at what he was saying and nodded, appearing to understand what he was saying.

"What about this one?" She turned around to point to the vehicle they needed to infiltrate. "Is it the same? It looks bigger."

"Oh, well, that's the same model, but it is 33MWB." That was Elsie's queue to start her strategy. The salesman was not young, but he was younger than her by about ten years. Just like Charles, she had opted to wear something she wouldn't usually find comfortable. The air was cool, and she should be completely covered up to avoid further congestion in her lungs, but, she would give it a shot. She wore a light jacket over her cleavage showing top. It was tight and low cut, revealing the top half-moons of her breasts quite prominently. It helped that she used a push up bra with support to make them look larger than they were. Her pants were tight, outlining her curves very well. She wore platform high heels. Both her toes that peaked out and her fingernails were painted in a bright red hue. Her hair was teased upwards to have some volume. She wore bright red lipstick, pink rouge and black mascara to highlight her eyes. Big golden bangles and hoop earrings finished off her look. She was trying to appear raunchy and she achieved it.

She opened the buttons of her jacket, revealing her figure hugging top to the man. She put her hand on the man's shoulder. "But what is the difference?" She pushed her breasts forward suggestively, and she could tell the man was mesmerized by them. This would work. Elsie Carson was on the high side of her 50's, but she still had it in her. While she distracted the man with questions and her attributes, Charles would find a way to get inside the vehicle and plant a motion camera. Then, whatever Vera was doing inside that van could be documented and hopefully, they would have what they needed.

The man was talking about engine torque and standard EURO emissions. He mentioned something about a catalytic converter. Elsie feigned interest as Charles moved slowly towards the back, pretending to inspect the wheel wells and rear bumper as he moved. The salesman shifted his position, looking like he might turn his head to seek out Charles, but, Elsie averted his moves by placing her hand on his bicep.

"Oh my," she said in a sultry voice. "You have some real muscle." She shifted to his other side, forcing the man's line of sight towards her and away from the rear end of the vehicle. She didn't let go of his arm and rubbed down to his shoulder. "You must do so much lifting, it keeps you strong." The eager little man blushed. He was, in fact, not in shape, and had nowhere near the amount of muscle that Elsie was suggesting and her coquettish endeavors made him proud. "I do what I can."

Charles opened the back door on the vehicle quietly, looking behind him to make sure nobody saw what he was doing. He entered into the large space, and positioned himself on his knees. Oh, he immediately felt the pain in his knees on such a hard surface, but he must get on. It was sparse, not like the model he and Elsie owned that had a table and chairs and monitors for their more in depth surveillance. It looked quite spacious this way and they always felt cramped in theirs. It was empty, save for a box in the corner. He crawled to it and opened it with trepidation, concerned with what he might find. He discovered a thick blanket and a basic pillow inside. There was also a discarded condom wrapper. Mmm. He knew it. Things made more sense now. Vera and somebody else were definitely using this vehicle for sex. She wasn't coming here to consider the purchase of the vehicle. But here? In a cold and drafty van? That was a first for them. Most of the cuckold spouses they followed were caught in their own vehicles, and the wealthier ones could afford hotel rooms. Work-based cheaters sometimes used their offices. All made more sense to him than a van in a car lot. He took a quick picture to show Elsie. She would be pleased that they were on the right track. He put everything back where he found it. He couldn't dally too long in there, there was only so much Elsie could do to distract the man, so, he looked for a spot to place the small image recorder. It was equipped with a motion sensor and when activated, it silently snapped a picture every 10 seconds. It could snap up to 1000 pictures, just about 3 hours of actual footage. It would do what was needed and capture anything they got up to as long as enough light from the outside come through the windows. The only downside was that it had to be retrieved manually. They would have to find a way to come back here. He looked at all of the surfaces. He had to set it up as inconspicuously as possible, but also make sure to get a direct swath that included the door and most of the space in the van. He placed it on the wall that separated the driver from the back portion of the vehicle, as high up as possible. It was visible if you really looked, but, he ventured to think that once they were in here, they wouldn't be doing much looking around. When the little device had adhered to the hard surface correctly, he started backing out. He caught an image of Elsie and the man from the passenger side mirror and they were too close for comfort. He descended and closed the door quietly. His emotions were starting to get to him.

"Excuse me, are you ogling my wife?" It was meant to be an act, but, a bit of him always came through whenever they played this game. The man was looking at Elsie's breasts and she did have her hand on his shoulder. Elsie was doing what they agreed, but that did not mean he had to like it. His offended husband role wasn't much of an act. He always felt it keenly.

"No, I…. I was just…" The man could not get out a sentence as Charles walked forward. The man took a step back and was ready to dart out of there quickly. There was sweat forming on his brow.

"You were taking advantage as I looked at the cars, weren't you? She's a married woman." Charles huffed and he clenched his fists.

"Oh boo boo… don't hurt the nice young man. He was just trying to explain the difference between the two models." There was just the right tone of bawdiness and simplicity in her words to convince her husband of the man's innocence. Elsie put herself between both men, winking at Charles in the process. "He didn't do anything," she added for measure and pouted.

"I didn't touch her, I swear." The man was cowering behind Elsie as Charles put on the bravado.

"See that you don't!" He put his arm around his wife and swung her around to stand next to him. "I will not be purchasing my van here, thank you." They moved away and walked a few more steps. Feeling flirty, Elsie turned around to wink at the man. Upon seeing her, the man's face broke into panic and he ran back towards the main offices.

As soon as they had exited the lot, Elsie shifted towards her husband. "You were good, as always, love. I assume you placed the device?" She started to button up her coat, aware that she had been exposed long enough and should cover up.

"I did, and you, as always, were too good an actress. You had me worried there." There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.

He was jealous, was he? Elsie loved to play with him. It wouldn't do for him to be too sure of himself. She would never leave him, but he didn't need to know that.

She looked at him straight in the eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Oh, you'll know when I'm leaving you Charles, and if I ever do, it wouldn't be for a balding car salesman." Her Scottish brogue replaced the tawdry voice she had used with the other man.

Even though there was no real assurance in her words, he felt slightly comforted. That was the real Elsie, the one that he loved. His face warmed and he reached for her. "How about a kiss now?" He put his arms around her, bringing her close to him.

Elsie didn't have time to protest or move away. After fending off her cold's symptoms enough time to pull of this ruse, they came back with a vengeance. The tickling in her nostrils became too much. Before she knew it, she was arching back.

"Achooooo" she bellowed. "Achooooo" came a second, immediate sneeze. She looked up with embarrassment written all over her face.

"I guess not," answered a stoic Charles as he pulled a pocket-handkerchief from his pants to wipe his wife's spit from all over his neck and chin.

* * *

><p>Gwen's head hit the pillow and she was instantly snoring. Anna was both amazed and jealous. They hadn't been in the room for ten minutes and she was already slumbering soundly. It took her five minutes to peel off her clothing and brush her teeth and that was it, she was under the covers and gone. Anna didn't have problems in going to sleep, but her problem was finding the time to do so. She really did want to rest, yet, she couldn't afford to. Not now. She was envious that Gwen could just disconnect, when she had emails to go through and conversations to listen to. It was close to midnight and she wished she could have started sooner, but, when they finished their duties at the convention at close to 8:00pm, Gwen had dragged her to a nearby pub to meet up with somebody she had met that day, another convention attendee. Gwen wasn't reckless, but Anna was feeling protective and she wouldn't let Gwen go alone. Richard had excused himself for the evening, as he had the day before too, so they were on their own. The evening had been fun and the young man had proven to be quite jovial and equally respectful. It didn't hurt that he was very handsome and well-spoken too. He introduced himself as Vinoth Patel and they all drank a couple of ales and ate the most delicious steak and Guinness pies they had ever tasted. He was an Oxford University graduate student, studying Oil and Gas Engineering and was attending the convention to further his knowledge. They spoke much of everything and of nothing. He was very interested in where they worked and asked a million questions about helicopters and their operations in the North Sea, specifically. Gwen answered everything with absolute knowledge. He seemed sweet on her, and Anna wondered about him, as he was asking too many technical questions. Could he be a spy? Gwen didn't seem to have the same suspicions and after a while, Anna put those thoughts away, convincing herself that she might be misinterpreting the whole evening. She persuaded herself he was legitimate and as a student, he would want to understand.<p>

They were staying at the same Crowne Plaza in the Docklands, close to the ExCel Exhibition Center where the convention was being held, and he very gentlemanly walked them back to the hotel. They said their goodbyes and now Anna was battling sleep. She turned on the hotel's courtesy coffee and tea maker and boiled some water, ready to work for a couple of hours. When she had a cup ready, she migrated to the bathroom where she could avoid detection by Gwen. Her roommate was a heavy sleeper, but she wouldn't risk her waking up to find her working amid a pile of files, so, she took a couple of pillows from her bed and sat in the tub, with her back reclining against them and her legs stretched out. Her tea was placed on the tub's rim next to the shampoo containers.

She was ready to listen to the day's accumulated conversations from Vera and Anthony when she noticed a text message from Elsie.

**Call Me. Doesn't matter how late.**

That was from two hours ago, so, she texted back.

**Are you still awake? **

She had an immediate response. **Yes. **

Elsie picked up the phone on the first ring. She whispered, "Hello".

Anna whispered back. "I'm sorry it's so late. Gwen and I went for a meal and I only just saw the text." She was keeping her voice low so as not to wake Gwen and imagined Elsie was doing the same so as to not wake Pops.

"No problem, love. I know you're busy. Listen, have you read the files Joe sent over?"

"Not yet, I was going to listen to all of today's conversations first. Why? Is there something I should focus on first? Have we had a breakthrough?" Anna's heart sped up for a moment, hoping they had found something that could help them.

"Nothing on Vera, I'm afraid. But there is something regarding Edna Braithwaite you need to read…..and Anna, I'm afraid it doesn't make Mr. Bates look good."

"What do you mean Mr. Bates doesn't look good? What has he done?" Her voice was a decibel more emotional than it should have been. She was worried. She looked at her email on her laptop and she had about five messages from Joe, none with a descriptive title. She randomly opened one.

"I'm afraid he was too good to be true and you'll have to be careful with him. Pops and I talked about stopping the investigation, we don't like that you are there so close to him."

Stop the investigation? Leave Bates Airlift? No, this couldn't be. "There are five files and the first one is Edna's dossier. Care to tell me what this is about before I go crazy looking for the information?" Her tone had changed to bitterness and she made no attempt to hide her feeling from Elsie.

"Edna accused him of sexual harassment five years ago. The case was settled out of court."

Anna felt like her dinner would leave her. She suppressed the impulse to heave. Sexual harassment?

"I can't believe it." Her voice cracked, the emotions becoming visible for Elsie to hear. "Are you sure it is him?"

"Yes, we are sure. She was employed at Bates Airlift then. Anna, are you alright? Why are you reacting like this?" There was real concern in Elsie's voice.

"What do you mean?" Anna became defensive immediately.

"You sound emotional and you shouldn't be. He is a client. I know you have worked for him several weeks now, but he is a risk to you. Pops wants you to pull out when you get back to Yorkshire."

Anna breathed in. She breathed out. She couldn't find anything to say and kept silent for a minute. He wasn't a risk to her.

"Anna?" Elsie asked. "Are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Talk to me. What has happened? Has he already attempted something with you? Is that why you are taking it this way?"

Elsie could not know how far she had let things get with him.

"I have worked with him for several weeks now, and that is why I know he isn't a risk. I'm emotional because he is an absolute gentleman and I cannot fathom that as the truth."

She paused and controlled her speech. Oh God, she had so many doubts now. They had shared three kisses. Were they for real? Vera said he was drawn to younger women. She needed to see how old Edna was. Maybe it was relevant. Maybe not. Was she pretty? A million thoughts came crashing through her mind. She needed time to filter through all of them and couldn't stop this investigation. Not now.

With as much aplomb as possible, she added, "He wasn't convicted. We don't know the reasons it settled out of court, so, we will stay and finish on." Her voice sounded very final.

"Anna. We'll have to talk when you get back." Elsie's tone was not pleased.

"We will, but, in the meantime, we continue as before."

* * *

><p>Anna's feet were killing her. She had worn sensible shoes, which meant that the high heels were not her regular 4 inches, but 2.5 inches. Sensible did not mean comfort, though. After more than six hours of standing and walking, she wished it was all over. Yet, it wasn't. She had made a record 200 pots of tea in three days. This was the third and last day of the event, but they still had about four more hours and 15 more pots of tea to go. There were about 2,000 conference attendees and during the morning, they had several sessions and keynote speakers that they listened to. Anna stole away into one session for about half an hour after telling Richard she was going to the ladies room. She was curious about what they talked about in those meetings and also needed something to think about that was not John Bates and Edna Braithwaite. In this particular session, they were presenting new technologies being used in oil extraction from shale. It sounded interesting, but she didn't stay, aware she might face Richard's wrath. In the afternoon, those same attendees came to the convention area where hundreds of companies proffered their services. Though diverse, they all had something to do with Oil and Gas. They ranged from travel agencies, to uniform manufacturers, to environmental activists, to magazines specializing in the field, and a few stands with high-tech equipment and software solutions. There were many more types of services than Anna could remember, but what did stand out and could not be forgotten was their competitors, Helicopters UK.<p>

The Bates Airlift stand was not as grand as theirs. It was average sized, but very professional. Richard had rented a small living room to make a portion within it comfortable for customer conversations. The other half had a wall with four 30 inch TV screens playing different Bates Airlift videos on loop. Each one concentrated on a different aspect – safety, helicopter fleet, Executive service and North Sea Platform services. Anna had never seen them before she arrived and they were professionally made. There were stools and a couple of high tables within this area where they offered tea and biscuits and little helicopter key rings tchotchkes to visitors enjoying the videos. Hanging cloth panels with pictures of the helicopters and the team adorned throughout the space. It was warm and modern and she was proud, but when she saw their competitor's area, she was shocked. It was four times the size of theirs, and looked like a small pavilion. At the very center, they had a small helicopter, scaled down to one tenth of the actual size. Helicopter seats were scattered throughout the space so that customers could feel the real product. Three hostesses were handing out bottled FIJI water and inviting people in. Holograms of helicopters in flight were projected on to several walls. They also had videos. There were about five sales reps working all of the visitors. Anna had to agree that it was the most spectacular vendor booth and best staffed in the entire event. They were very small in comparison. She wondered how Richard ever did this alone. It didn't make sense he didn't want help.

For all of the grandeur the Helicopters UK stand boasted, during the three days they had attended the event, the Bates Airlift stand had seen plenty of clients too. Richard made some contacts for Executive services as well. During the whole time, Gwen had been amazing. At least Anna thought so. She was very attentive to the people that came in and spoke with a natural ease and conviction about all of their services. While Anna labored as hostess, making sure everybody was comfortable, Gwen discerned the potential clients from the serial conventioneers, those that visited each stand to see what goods they could amass. To those she handed the helicopter key rings. To the more serious visitors, she also invited them to partake in the raffle of a free one hour flight over the Yorkshire countryside. She was a natural, Anna was sure. Everybody that came left very pleased. Richard didn't say much to them. She didn't need him to affirm anything to her, but he had not offered any praise to Gwen and that was not right or fair. She had worked her little butt off. She deserved the recognition. If Mr. Bates had seen her, he would indeed be proud.

This morning had seen Richard ill-tempered. He was sure he could land the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account, but his contact had eluded him this morning, telling him that the decision had been made and that he was not at liberty to say if they had been selected. Richard had been surprised to find out that his contact, was, in fact, not the decision maker, but the vendor analyst charged with putting together all of the competitive data on each company's services for his boss. The man who was to decide was set to visit the winning company at one point in the afternoon and that was when they would find out. Richard and forced waiting were a losing combination. He was irritable the whole morning.

"Hi Anna," she turned to see the young man that she and Gwen had shared dinner with, Vinoth Patel. He was wearing a suit today, and appeared much less relaxed than on the evening they shared with him.

"Vinoth, how nice to see you. We didn't run into you yesterday. Gwen and I thought you might have gone back to Oxford."

They both turned to see Gwen who was finishing with a client. She waved and smiled, but never stopped focusing on the person she was with.

"I'm sorry. I got very busy with the conference. I ended up eating dinner with another group of people and I almost wished I hadn't. Your and Gwen's company would have been better."

"Oh, how nice of you to say." It was a sweet compliment to give. She wished it was Gwen listening to this and not her, as Gwen had mentioned that he was right up her alley as far as potential suitors were concerned. "Gwen is finishing off with a client. Do you want to come in and sit for a while?" Anna didn't want him to set off without at least giving her friend another chance to talk to him.

"Actually, I was here to see Richard Carlisle." A million bells and whistles went off in Anna's head at the mention of Richard's name. How did he know Richard? They hadn't met and hadn't been introduced. Was the story he gave them at dinner false? "I'll want to talk to him and Gwen as soon as she becomes available."

As if on cue, Gwen walked up to both of them and greeted him with a big smile. "How nice to see you Vinoth!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Richard saw that the girls were very familiar with the young man and he approached them. He looked ready to scare the young man off, rendering him a nuisance visitor. He had a look in his eyes that scared Anna. She was the only one who realized that this could be what they were waiting for. Before Richard could open his mouth and make fools of them, she stopped him.

"Richard, do you know Mr. Vinoth Patel? He's come to see you and Gwen." Gwen looked confused. Richard was too.

"No, I am not sure we've met," he answered guardedly. Anna's actions worked, as he stood quietly, allowing the man to speak.

"No, we haven't and I will introduce myself formally in a second, but before that, I must take a minute to apologize to Anna and Gwen, for I misrepresented myself to them, and I have led them to believe I was somebody I wasn't." He turned to look at them apologetically. "I am Vinoth Patel, but I am not a graduate student at Oxford. I am the Director of Vendor Contracts at CONOCO EXPLORATIONS and I am ever so sorry that I took advantage of your good nature and friendly spirit the other day. You were both genuine and warm and I deceived you by not telling you my true intent."

Each one of the Bates Airlift employees had a different expression on their faces. Richard knew what this visit was about. He was to find out if his sales efforts paid off. He was full of anticipation and worry. He was also trying to figure out why this man seemed to know the girls and he didn't? Gwen was trying to suppress her confusion and disappointment. He asked her to the pub to get information? Not because he liked her? She still didn't realize how important this moment could be. Anna was trying to absorb it all and play both supportive friend and professional mediator if necessary. She didn't know which way to look first.

"The truth is," He continued with his explanation, facing both of the women and away from Richard. "I wanted to meet somebody from each company. I needed to make a decision on what helicopter company to use. David Farnsworth, your contact and my employee, put together a very robust package, highlighting the pros and cons of each company and the financials. I'll be honest. Both are rather similar, with a few different details. Thus, I wanted to meet somebody from each team, a real person, not the actual Sales Manager, to determine what cannot be analyzed on paper. I was looking for the core values of the company to come through and for the passion to be present. The only way I know that it will be real and not a Sales pitch, is to interview a member of the team in as relaxed a setting as possible."

He turned to look at Richard. "I had the pleasure of dining with your two colleagues on Tuesday. I dined with a couple of people from Helicopters UK last night. I am pleased to say that Bates Airlift has been selected as our new service provider thanks to the knowledge, enthusiasm, loyalty, charisma and good table manners of Miss Gwen Dawson."

"What?" Gwen's jaws dropped. Her eyes opened wide. She knew how important this account was.

Anna's sixth sense was correct, that there was something about Vinoth that hadn't seemed right when they dined with him two days prior. He was pleasant, but he was asking so many things of Gwen, almost like a test. At least, he wasn't a stalker; he was a businessman with an ulterior motive. That made her feel better for having given in so early against what her sensors were telling her. She would never believe that this had happened, though. Her friend had been recognized for landing the largest account Bates Airlift ever had. Richard had even mentioned that more helicopters might be necessary, if they were selected.

Richard was speechless. He had a half scowl, half-smile. They had landed the account, only it had not been him.

"Yes, Gwen. I am so sorry to have done that to you." Vinoth appeared worried and was looking for absolution from her.

"No, it's not a problem. Don't worry." She smiled, very self-assured and wanting to put Vinoth at ease. This news was akin to winning the lottery and nothing would make her upset. "I understand. I am just wondering what I said to convince you."

"Besides impressing me with your knowledge of each type of aircraft on your fleet, and how you described the miraculous process of flying, I asked if you were happy working there and why. You said you were very comfortable and that you worked for a kind boss who was very fair and just and who had given you many developmental opportunities. You said the company treated their employees right and was socially conscious, hiring interns to provide job experience, participating in Make a Wish child dreams, and that they often provide low cost or free flights to people in need. If it is the place that makes you proud to work there, then it is the place that I want to do my business with."

* * *

><p>Richard walked away with Vinoth and Anna assumed that they were discussing the terms of the contract and the next steps. As soon as he was far away not to notice, Anna hugged Gwen, still in shock, quite effusively.<p>

"Oh, Gwen, you're such a star. Mr. Bates will be so proud. This can only mean good things for you."

"You think so Anna?" Gwen still doubted that the account had been secured because of her unwitting actions.

"Richard and Mr. Bates would be fools if they didn't give you credit for landing us the biggest account in our history." Anna squeezed her cheeks affectionately. "Now perk up! We still have work to do."

From the corner of her eye, Anna saw Richard's laptop sitting on the small table. He never let it out of his sight before, but given Vinoth's unexpected visit and even more unexpected news, he must not have remembered.

"Oh, look. Richard left his laptop unattended. Let me take it and put it away until he gets back. We wouldn't want it to fall into the wrong hands."

"You're right. He would be terribly upset with us if something happened. Can you handle it? I see people coming." Gwen approached the new set of attendees, leaving Anna alone.

"Absolutely," she responded as Gwen walked away. This was exactly what she wanted.

This was perfect. She walked to the little enclosure behind the video wall, where she made all the pots of tea and set it on a counter. At best, she had ten minutes before Gwen noticed she was missing. Richard was hopefully gone for at least half an hour. She had tried, all convention long, to peek at his files. After all, she had put herself far away from Yorkshire to come to this event and one of the reasons she did come was to study Richard closer. The entire event, he had hardly spoken to them and he did not share any meals with them either. She had learned nothing of him and this was the best opportunity she would have. Fishing through her pockets, she found the spare empty 1GB flash drive that she carried around for situations such as these and introduced it into the USB port of the laptop. Quickly, she started copying files that did not appear to be Bates Airlift related. By now, she knew the names of most of the corporate accounts and she skipped those, concentrating on everything else. In addition, she duplicated the entire PICTURES folder, in case there was something that could be seen. One subfolder within the PERSONAL folder category caught her attention. PARTNERSHIP. She copied it too. She still had five more minutes. She opened that file and started reading a word document, CARLISLE PARTNERSHIP. As much as Anna could ascertain, Richard had proposed partnership with Mr. Bates, requesting up to a 50% share. That's bold, she thought. One half of the company? He was very sure of himself to be bidding for such a high amount. She closed the files, determined to read them later and put away the flash drive into her pocket. Beside it sat her trusty voice recorder. It was probably full to the top with the nonsensical chatter of her day's work with the hundreds of people she had funneled through their stand. She would delete it as soon as she got home. She was sure it had reached capacity for the day.

She closed the laptop and left it perched on the topmost counter, away from anything that could spill on it. She paused for a moment to rub her feet. They were still sore. Thankfully, there were only a couple of more hours left.

"What are you doing with my laptop?" Richard Carlisle himself was standing there, looking upon her with disgust. He was upset. His tone was accusatory and his eyes reflected forced restraint. Anna had seen this before when she presented the evidence of adultery to the spouses that hired her. They wanted to lash out and hit somebody. Her first reaction internally was of panic, but she didn't let it show. She was trained to play it cool, to deflect any suspicion off of herself. If he saw she was afraid, he would have the upper hand and she would not let him have it. She didn't know how long he had been standing there either, so, perhaps he had not seen her actually go through the files. The important thing was for her to get out of there and into the open, regardless of where the conversation led to.

"Saving your Arse." This was the moment to be bold. "You could be a little more appreciative of that. Gwen and I wanted to keep it safe for you. You left it lying about when you walked off with Mr. Patel. It could have been stolen, you know."

The enclosure was not very large. It was just a series of panels that were put together by the juxtaposition of the dividing walls of their stand and it was a nifty little storage space, but now she was inside, with nowhere to go and Richard took two steps forward.

Anna stood her ground. Moving back meant his intimidation was working and she would not fall prey to him.

"Is that so?" He asked, bringing his face to within inches of hers.

"Yes, Richard. Do you think otherwise?"

"I'll tell you what I think. You and that redhead out there, feel that Bates Airlift, and I in particular, owe you a debt of gratitude for winning the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account. You think that entitles you to something." He moved forward again. He was within an inch of her face. She stepped back, not of fear, but to make her words to him understood. Her bottom hit the ledge where the hot tea pots were sitting. She couldn't go farther back without getting burnt.

"Richard, move back now. Get away from me this instant or I will have to accuse you of workplace harassment."

"You'll do no such thing." He moved forward. Anna was cornered with no way out. "You think I would appreciate you winning this account because both of you spread your legs and let that Paki have some of you?"

Anna's jaw dropped at the preposterous assertion.

"We did no such thing Richard, what you are inferring is absurd and a lie. We went out to dinner with him, in a pub, in public."

"Well, that is what I'll be saying if you dare accuse me of anything. I saw you reading something on my laptop. I'll be making partner soon, thanks to this account, and if you don't want me to accuse you of corporate espionage either, you'd best open your legs to me too."

In a swift move, he reached for her head and brought her lips to his, crushing her against him. She was startled by his comments, but she was more surprised at his audacity to actually attempt to assault her. His other hand reached underneath her skirt, and tried to stroke her intimately. She wouldn't let him get the best of her. She had clamped her mouth shut and tried to turn away, resisting his advances, but he was too strong. It was repulsive how his tongue forced entry. Her gag reflex was working fine and she felt her bile threatening to come up. As best as she could, her hands made their way between them and she tugged at his arm, moving it away from her legs. In an instant, she was able to position the other at his chest level. Enough force generated by her adrenaline was mustered and he was pushed back.

He looked at her with anger.

"Mr. Bates! When did you arrive?" Gwen's cheery voice was overheard not a foot away.

Oh Thank God, thought Anna. Richard was surprised and his control of the situation was lost. They hadn't seen him, but they heard him respond something to Gwen. If he had not arrived, she didn't know how she would have gotten out of there. She straightened her skirt and smoothed her hair back. She took a napkin and wiped all of her lipstick off. She didn't have access to a mirror, but Richard's filthy mouth had probably smudged it around and she wouldn't be able to go out looking like that.

During this time, the cretin looked at her as he also smoothed his hair back and straightened his tie.

"You're lucky he's here. Don't you dare contradict a word I've said, or you'll be sorry."

* * *

><p>On a whim, John Bates decided to fly to London. Richard had telephoned him earlier in the week to describe just how much Helicopters UK had invested in their booth. He described it as gaudy, yet captivating. It seemed worth a look. If Bates Airlift needed to set aside more money for promotion and events, he wanted to make sure they did it right. Richard had texted him some pictures, but, they didn't always tell the complete story. A convention booth was the hallmark of a company. With so many other booths available at these massive events, visitors made decisions within seconds if you were worth their time. Getting the product known to potential customers required attracting people into the space, but too many gimmicks could spoil the Bates Airlift message. You didn't want the wrong people coming in and taking valuable time away from his limited amount of team members. It also was important for him to see how Gwen was getting on. If they needed to expand their sales force in the near future, he wanted to give her the opportunity and there was no better way than to see her in action. Seeing that everything in the office was in top shape and Sarah and Phyllis had everything under control, he took Maggie out and headed towards the London Heliport at Battersea.<p>

He considered calling Richard to let him know and at the last moment thought better of it. His Sales Manager would be too busy at the stand to field his phone call. Just to make sure that his arrival was not a complete surprise, at least not for Anna, he decided to tweet.

THERE IS NOTHING MORE EXHILARATING THAN FLYING OVER THE BIG SMOKE

Since their agreement was to be vague, he hoped she understood from that that he was on his way to London. He was dying to set his eyes on her again. Since their last kiss, almost a week ago, his mind wandered to think about her all the time. He missed seeing her at the office, at his meetings, finding her in the kitchen making a pot of tea, coming upon her in a deep state of thinking. She was clever and beautiful and she made his heart beat faster. When working, he would think about her golden hair, beautiful eyes, easy smile and adorable accent. At leisure, he would remember the sensation of her lips upon his and the burning of his neck as her hands held him tight. Those feelings, late at night, transformed him into a man with desires and he often dreamt of her, in his bed, lying atop him. He imagined himself making love to her and those were the sweetest dreams. Those sensations were short-lived, as he would wake to the cruel realization that he was married to Vera, not Anna. Even if she was also interested in him, it could not be. He would not take it a step further with her until things with Vera became clearer. He would never belittle her to the status of mistress. He would never expose her to the most certain wrath that would be unleashed if Vera knew. And now, Vera did know just a little. How she figured it out, was a mystery to him. They had done nothing publicly that would give them away. She must have seen how his face brightened whenever she appeared before him; how his whole mood changed from glum to happy with her mere presence. Anna was not at fault of this, he was, and he would have to work harder to hide his growing attraction to her.

When he landed at the Battersea Heliport, he took a cab to the ExCel convention center. He looked at his phone and there were no tweets from Anna. She either did not see the need to acknowledge his message, or was too busy in the stand to have noticed what he wrote.

He was able to prove his affiliation with Bates Airlift and was allowed through rather quickly. He immediately saw what Richard had described when he came across the Helicopters UK pavilion while he searched for the Bates Airlift stand through the crowded hall. It was over the top, but pulled people in. The helicopter model and holograms were admittedly cool, but he wasn't sure he wanted that. He'd inspect it later with Richard and did not stop to take in the extravagance.

He saw his target at a distance and Gwen was alone, talking to two men in suits. Anna and Richard were not visible anywhere. Instead of distracting Gwen, and his presence would be an interruption, he came upon the stand from an angle, and entered from where the video monitors were held. He wanted to get close enough to hear her and see if she was handling herself right. He didn't want to trust Richard's assessment of her work here. He'd already said it was average, at best, and he didn't want to believe it, not with his track record of besmirching her capacity. He hugged the wall to stand as close as possible to where she stood, in the small sitting area. He was impossibly quiet, eager to not disturb her. He came upon the small hidden enclosure and peaked in. His heart dropped. He almost fainted. Anna and Richard were kissing, quite passionately, letting whatever moment they were sharing get the best of them. His eyes only took on the scene for no more than a few seconds, but it was enough to scar him. The image was now burned on to his retinas.

Unable to stay there and witness this, and unable to spy on Gwen from any other angle, he just made his presence known to her.

"Mr. Bates, when did you arrive?" Gwen's very obvious surprise and pleasure shown through. She was loud enough, he was sure, that the pair of lovers had overheard. She introduced him to the two men and discovered they were from another one of the neighboring stands and owners of a manufacturing smelter of the high-grade metal alloys used in the construction of the sea oil rig platforms. Since the event was winding down, they had come over to investigate services. He was very detached from the conversation and in his subconscious, realized that Gwen was handling the conversation quite well. Good. His mind was elsewhere right now. It couldn't focus on that. What he wanted was for Richard and Anna to come out of there. What he wanted was to look Anna in the eye and see the truth hidden within. They had not shared any professions of love, him and her, but he thought they shared a connection. He thought, if she were patient, that they might have a future together. He was a fool. Maybe she was working him, and working Richard. Is that how she did it? Or was she working all of the men in the company, one by one, like this, trying to test their loyalties to Vera? Whatever her reasons, it had changed how he saw her.

They emerged a few minutes later. Richard looked confident, smug even. Anna was unreadable. There was emptiness in her eyes, a bit of dread, mixed with fear. He couldn't really tell. It didn't matter though. Years of living with Vera had trained him. He would shut himself down. Anna Smith wouldn't be the cause of another one of his heartaches.

* * *

><p>"Is this for real?" Elsie was staring at the GPS screen. She and Charles were sitting in their car, yet another evening, doing surveillance. It was Thursday night, Vera's dalliance day. Everything was ready, the motion enabled video was installed, and the lot was empty. They were hidden away, with binoculars, waiting for her lover to make his appearance. The camera and the telescopic lens were sitting nearby. Nobody had arrived yet.<p>

The GPS signal indicated that she had driven home, instead of driving to the "Park and Ride" lot to start her weekly bus and cab trip. They waited twenty minutes, perhaps thinking that she had gone home to get something, but it wasn't the case. Sadly, they realized, she wasn't coming.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for the continued support. I received excellent feedback regarding the length of my chapters and while most of you do like them long, I do agree that there is a point in which they are just too much. I am really trying to not go over 10K. I almost made it this chapter – 10.5K.**

**Pops and Elsie's hard work will be paying off very soon! Will John and Anna finally get on the same wavelength? Don't hate me! They will sort it out, eventually. What the hell is Edna Braithwaite doing in this story? When will Richard get his comeuppance? Tune in next chapter to find out. **


	10. Catching Vera

**I continue to struggle with length. Some of you appreciate the length, others have struggled with it. (Believe it or not, I actually shaved some things off and will work them into the next chapter) I will start posting the word length at the beginning of the story so that those who think it is too long can pace themselves. This chapter is 11.8K. **

**Thank you to all the lovely reviewers. When I hit a rut in writing, and I suddenly get a spontaneous review, it energizes me to keep going. **

**Also, did you notice my new cover art? Give me a moment to fangirl and appreciate the two women who made it happen…. First, the lovely Joanne tweeted a helicopter pic while I am writing a helicopter story. OMG! Too good an opportunity to pass up and thus, thanks to her and the incredible photoshop talents of my friend HAVEYOUTRIEDCOCAINE on TUMBLR, we now have Anna and John in front of Maggie. Thank you Joanne and HYTC!**

* * *

><p>Aspirin. That's what Anna needed right now. It was Saturday morning and her attempt at a lie-in wasn't working. Damn her responsible nature and the headache that accosted her since Richard's assault on Thursday. Was it really too much to ask for a day where she could just relax? She searched for her clock on the bedside table and could make out 730am am in the piles of documents that laid waiting for her to make sense of them. At least it wasn't dark out. That would have made her more upset. The rays of sunshine peaked from the corners of the window where the curtains didn't cover and she reluctantly sat up. She was sure she had aspirin in her drawers and rummaged around until she found what she was looking for. Two pills were swallowed with the help of the water bottle that she always kept close-by at night.<p>

Right, well, she had things to do. She propped up the pillows, not keen on actually getting out of bed, and took the miniature voice recorder that lain atop one of the piles of file folders. She had already backed up the files in several places. There was no way she would risk losing this evidence. She pressed play.

Richard's repulsive voice came through. "You'd best open your legs to me too."

She stopped and rewound the recording, a little farther this time and pressed play again.

"You think I would appreciate you winning this account because both of you spread your legs and let that Paki have some of you?"

She wouldn't let him get away with it. She sighed. She would have to wait. As much as she wanted to accuse the filthy bastard, she couldn't. It would disrupt the investigation and they were so close. Pointing the finger at him meant that she would be scrutinized by law enforcement and her association with Carson's Private Investigators would be known. She couldn't do that to Mr. Bates, not when they already had the camera in place to catch Vera and not when they had so much going on. They were on the trail of Edna Braithwaite and she had all the files she needed on the remaining men to go through. But, it wouldn't be long. The statute of limitations allowed her to postpone bringing the issue to light, so, she could wait a couple of weeks. Listening to the recordings gave her more zeal to get it all done. Had he done this to other women in the office? It didn't seem like it. He must have thought that in her lowly role as Intern, she didn't hold much power and that she would be quiet because she needed to gain the experience. How wrong he was. She would outsmart him and if he ever did anything as brash again, she would be ready.

* * *

><p>"Anna, have you read all the files?" Pops looked at his darling girl with fear in his eyes. He may not be her real father, but, since he took on the role of her guardian, that didn't matter to him. They had formed the bond of father-daughter and he would always worry about her. He would die if something happened to his not so little girl and his discovery of John Bates' past weighed heavy in his mind. His Anna shouldn't be around people like that.<p>

"Yes, I have and it changes nothing." Anna had indeed read the whole court case document. It was the first thing she did when they came back from London. She had browsed bits and pieces of it, but, with Gwen so near her, she couldn't make heads or tails of all of it until she was all alone and in her own home. It didn't make sense to her, really, that a man like Mr. Bates would do something like that.

"It does change things," chimed in Elsie as she brought a fresh pot of tea to their dining table. They had a lot of notes to compare, if they did follow through with the case, and they would need plenty of refreshments. There were piles of files amid the plates of biscuits and finger sandwiches she had put together for on this occasion. "He is not who we thought he was. How do we know his motivation is in the right place?" Elsie sat down, but kept her focus on Anna.

"It doesn't change a thing," persisted Anna. "I read the entire transcript. The victim alleged that he had put his hands on her waist, kissed her neck while she was working and hinted that he wanted sex from her on more than one occasion. If that is the truth, or a lie, there is no relevance to this case. He hired us to find out if his wife is engaging in a sexual affair and if he, himself, wanted one with the victim or not, it should not stop us from finding out the truth." She was trying to maintain composure. She could not lose her cool this time. Elsie would suspect her feelings for him and she could not have them doubt her. Not know.

"But you are there, with him. That puts you in danger." Pops reached out to hold her hand. "I would not forgive myself if something happened to you. The wisest thing would be for us to stop." He turned to look at Elsie and they shared a wordless conversation with just a look. They had obviously talked this out when Anna was not there.

"Danger?" Anna asked, "From Mr. Bates?" If they only knew what she had already had to endure from Richard, they would be livid. She wouldn't dare say. If they had this reaction with Mr. Bates, she knew what their determination would be if they had that additional bit of knowledge. "Look. I don't feel threatened one bit around him. I've seen him with all of his employees and he is an absolute gentleman. Gwen, who does the job that Edna, the alleged victim, had in the past, worships the ground he walks on. She respects him greatly. If there was anything questionable or lewd about him, she wouldn't have him in such high esteem. I will be on my guard to make sure that this does not become an issue and…. I do know how to take care of myself." Still holding on to Pops, she reached out to Elsie and took her hand to complete a connection between all three of them. She needed to reassure them, even if she was plagued with doubts about his behavior. She would not let herself be swayed. His midnight trips, this sexual harassment case, his near constant aloofness would not deter her from what she felt for him. The negative information about him was overwhelming, but, she was sure he was a good man. She had been held by him and kissed him and seen the depth of his soul in his eyes. None of it could be true.

"I believe in John Bates. The moment I no longer believe in him, I promise to tell you so that we can drop the case." She squeezed harder and let go. "And now, we get on with it, because we have much data to share."

Elsie and Pops looked at each other again, realizing that Anna meant to continue. Another wordless conversation took place. They relented.

With purpose, Anna picked up the files on Edna.

"So… let's talk about the alleged victim as it pertains to the case with Anthony." She flipped the pages within the file, looking at all of the details. "I've read the data. It is not a surprise that they know each other. They both worked for Mr. Bates at the time of the accusation. She left shortly thereafter as a condition to her settlement. Her payout was immediate and final; the court records indicating that it was all paid - 50,000 pounds in a lump sum. There is no law against them from being friends, as Anthony was not a party to the accusation, but why is he giving her money now? Every month for the last year?"

"She has a child doesn't she? Is it maybe his?" Pops used his 'thinking' face, focusing intently on her information. "What if it is intended for child maintenance?"

Anna nodded her head negatively. "She does have a child who is about one year old and that explains the pram in the picture that you captured, but the child is called Michael Phillips. I suppose her partner is Niall Phillips, the name on the lease and several of the utilities from that address. If the child was Anthony's, it would be registered as Michael Strallan. The connection must be another. She's not very good at keeping jobs, as I've been able to tell by her work history. Michael Phillips is listed as unemployed as well. I'm not sure it even has to do anything anymore with Mr. Bates and Vera, but, I think Mr. Bates would want to know that somebody he trusts in his company is regularly giving money to the woman who accused him of harassment. Relevant or not to the actual case, I think we should tell him."

"If you think it is for the best," agreed Elsie. She had doubts, but would led Anna lead.

"I do. I'll summarize the details in a dropbox message tonight. ." Anna had already closed the dossier on Edna and was pushing them to the side. "…..and you must thank Joe for me." She dreaded to talk to the annoying man and would do it through them as often as she could. "He did an excellent job of putting together all of this data in such a short time. He truly is amazing."

Both Elsie and Pops smirked.

"He's a good man and he adores you, you know." Pops was very free with his opinion and noticed that Anna tensed with his words.

"Well, yes, he is a good man. I've never said he isn't. He's just not the man for me." After a minute pause to catch her serenity after such a comment, she saucily added, "Can we focus on these other men instead?" Her eyes had grown wider and she had rolled them after Pop's suggestion. Elsie was trying hard to suppress her laughter. They almost never interfered with Anna's love life, having liked the young men she had dated in college and approving of her choices. They just liked to tease her when it came to Joe. He was a sweet man, but, he was very insistent about his crush on Anna and not very smart at wooing her. Elsie actually agreed that he wasn't her type at all.

"So, who's first?" Elsie asked, looking at the pile of files Anna had in front of her and steering the conversation back on track to what Anna wanted.

Anna retrieved the topmost file. "Anthony 'Tony' Gillingham is a playboy. His expenses place him at clubs throughout Yorkshire. He is constantly at restaurants and bars and spends much money on clothing. He's actually on several online dating sites and his mobile phone is the most active of all of the men I've investigated. He receives calls from several different numbers and places them in equal amounts. None of them match Vera. I've never seen him flirt blatantly with anybody in the office. His behavior is restricted to the outside. Vera flirts with him, and he can be an easy target for her because he seems to be promiscuous. When I reverse checked the telephone numbers I found, they were all women. I cannot discount him and I do see him as a potential lover."

She picked up the file on Alfred Nugent. "The surprising thing about Alfred Nugent, the next man, is that he and Anthony are flatmates. Given their opposite lifestyles, I find that intriguing. Alfred is all about sports and he likes to cook. He has a club membership and trains for marathons. His Facebook page is full of his athletic prowess and meals he has prepared. There are pictures of him playing football with friends, scaling rock face and cycling through the Black Forest in Germany. He seems to be very fond of fondue and baking. He is always on the go. He had a girlfriend, until recently. His ex, Ivy Stuart, works at Patmore's Catering, the company that Bates Airlift contracts for food and beverage distribution. He has moderate spending, nothing too unusual and no apparent links to Vera. At the office, though, Vera flirts with him constantly and he is always flushing at the sight of her. He may have a small crush. Perhaps that contributed to his breakup with Ivy, I'm not sure, but he could also be a potential lover, given his reactions to her."

She secured the last file. "The last man is Michael Gregson. His story is dramatic. He is married. He had a child, but that child died of congenital heart defect a little over a year ago. Gwen told me it was very tragic. The grief was too much for his wife and she suffers severe bouts of depression. She is bipolar and has attempted suicide on several occasions. With the amount of time that he is away, flying on extended missions, he has a constant caregiver for her. All his expenses tend to be of a medical nature. He doesn't have the character for an affair, he is the Chief Pilot, and Mr. Bates leans on him a lot in training the more junior pilots, yet, he could very well need the distraction. He has a lot of stress in his life and not a lot of ways to relax. Vera hardly interacts with him, but that doesn't really mean anything. I don't get a sense about him, that he is the one, as he is usually very focused."

"Very interesting," Elsie commented as she put down cup of tea she had just poured herself while Anna spoke. "You know, Vera has not had any trysts in two weeks. We've followed her closely. Two weeks ago, we traced her to the SG Petch lot and waited for her in the rain. She showed up, but her lover did not. I think he was hampered by the weather. But this last week… neither of them showed up, and Vera drove straight home. That is odd and I want to believe that her lover was unavailable. Perhaps you should cross-reference all the men who are still candidates to determine if anybody was away?"

"Yes, I'll do that. Let's see how many I can narrow down from there. I'll also be going to the compound to explore Vera's and Richard's offices. I've not looked at their files yet."

* * *

><p>"Oh, good, you're awake!" exclaimed Mary when she saw Anna watching the telly in their living room. Their paths hadn't really crossed since Anna came back from London. They had shared a couple of Whatsapp messages while she was away, but there was nothing like chatting with her friend.<p>

"I am indeed. I missed you."

Anna stood to give Mary a hug, happy to have somebody on her side. Lately, she felt it was her against the world. She turned off the telly, as it seemed Mary wanted to talk and Ant and Dec's latest variety program didn't have her as riveted to their antics as they would have wanted. It was close to 11pm and Anna should be sleeping, but the thought of heading back to the compound tomorrow morning worried her. She hadn't seen Richard since they had packed up the stand on that Thursday when the Oil and Gas Summit ended. He was the picture of politeness with her while Gwen and Mr. Bates were around. She had made sure that she was not alone with him at all during the rest of that day and then he had decided to take off Friday. Thus, tomorrow she would encounter him.

She would also encounter Mr. Bates. She didn't know what to make of him either. He had taken to tweeting very well and now and occasionally put out odd messages.

**No matter how badly your heart is broken, the world does not stop for your grief #bitter**

They didn't make sense to her. His heart was broken? Was he pining for Vera? In London, he had barely acknowledged her. He asked her about her experience politely, but Richard had steered him away, no doubt to poison his mind in regards to Gwen's contribution and to have him look at their competitor's interactive stand. By the time they came back, the event was finally finished and she and Gwen had started to organize and pack things for their departure. Mr. Bates had other business he had to attend to in London and exited quickly. She and Gwen left shortly after to catch the train back to York. Richard would see to everything else being packed.

"I am surprised to find you just lounging here. You've been under piles of files for the last couple of months." Immediately after their hug, Anna had gone back to lie across the sofa, too comfortable to sit up. She hugged an accent pillow for additional comfort. Mary took a seat in a chair next to her and wearily started to take off her shoes.

Anna chuckled. "You have no idea how badly I needed a break from it all. Everything I do these days is Bates Airlift and investigation related. I just wanted a few minutes to watch something to take my mind off."

"And did it help?"

"Not really. Now you're here, so, you'll be better than the rubbish I was watching. I was waiting for you too. I am anxious to find out - How did the appointment with Isobel Clarkson go?"

Mary beamed with joy. "Very well. I saw her on Friday, thanks to you." She emphasized that part, and then bellowed the rest of her statements. "I still can't believe that you met her and managed to convince her to see me."

"Meeting her was a stroke of good luck and she turned out to be so nice. She had the wrong idea about you and I am glad that I could set her straight." Anna was eager to discover if her meddling had helped at all. "Did it work out? Are you in?"

"We hit it off very well and she was impressed with my knowledge of the entire family history and all the money making ventures of the estate. Unfortunately, she has no openings right now for permanent staff, but I can start volunteering on the weekends. That is when Highclere has the most visitors."

"That's excellent, isn't it?" Anna clasped her hands, tentatively, hoping her positive reaction was in order.

"It is. I just need to get my foot in the door and once she has a position available, it will be easier. Given my connections to the estate, she doesn't think it would be too difficult to justify bringing me on and the time spent as a volunteer would both gauge my commitment and help me determine if I really do want to be there."

Anna couldn't help but squeal with excitement. She made the effort to sit up and reached for Mary's arm that lay on the chair's armrest to pat her affectionately. This made her happy. Amid all the chaos in her life, this was positive. This was all Mary ever talked about in school. She wanted to manage her family estate, even if it no longer belonged to them. Who better to safeguard it, than a Crawley?

"The best thing, though…" Mary continued, with the same excitement and a hint of embarrassment. "I got to meet her son, Matthew Crawley. He was waiting for her when I came out. You mentioned you met him, but, you didn't say he was gorgeous." She swatted Anna's hand feigning disapproval. "Turns out we are very distant relations- very, very distant." At Anna's confusion at that statement, Mary added, "I didn't know Isobel's first husband was also a Crawley, although we are very far removed."

Anna swatted back for fun and chuckled, while Mary rubbed her arm zealously to alleviate the pain. Anna was stronger than she thought. "I did meet him. He's John's lawyer and a very nice chap." Anna added the comment as she rested her head against the sofa's cushions and refused to give up the pillow she was hugging.

"A lawyer?" Mary's mind went elsewhere with a private thought, but she regained her focus to continue her conversation with Anna. "Well, we hardly spoke, it was all very quick because Isobel was also there, but I could swear he turned to check me out as I was leaving." She rolled her eyes good naturedly. "I wouldn't mind seeing him again."

Anna smiled. She liked to see Mary happy. She was wondering if now was a good time to go to sleep. Maybe she could avoid the conversation about Mr. Bates.

"Talking about John, I saw him today. He was visiting Papa and he looked mopey." Mary stared at Anna, implying with her gaze that she was the reason for the man's agony. "Would you know why? Did you break things off with him, like you said you would?"

Anna didn't want to lie and after almost two weeks since their first kiss at Highclere, she was just as lost now regarding her feelings as she was then. Maybe Mary could give her some clarity. She was her best friend after all and knew Mr. Bates from long ago.

"I don't know why he's mopey unless he is lamenting that we are not together and that he is still married. But, I'll not be false with you. We've kissed. Twice, and it was glorious. I am desperate, in fact, to do it again." She lifted her forehead, high in the air, asserting she felt no shame for her actions.

"Anna!" Mary's shocked words rung out loudly, but Anna did not know if it was disapproval or excitement. "When did it happen and why haven't you told me?"

"I've not seen you in a while and this was not the type of thing I wanted to message about." She hesitated on whether to confess more than she had already spoken, but gave in after looking at Mary's imploring eyes. "The first time was at the castle, when I was dressed up for the Make a Wish event, and then, last week, when my car died. He brought me home and the closeness was too much. It was downstairs, at the entryway."

Before Mary could ask anything else, Anna continued. Mary was barely sitting on the sofa, eager to listen to it all.

"We talked about the reasons we can't be together, but we didn't agree on anything or how to get past this. With the week I spent in London, we've not encountered each other to talk about it at all."

"If I would have known, I would have tried to pay more attention to him today, maybe find out what he's thinking…" Her voice trailed and her mind drifted off. She was thinking of the possibilities.

Anna chuckled again. "Like a proper friend would, except, we're no longer in secondary school. I'll do the adult thing and I'll talk to him myself, thank you. I'll see him again tomorrow and I will find a way for us to chat."

"But, what will you chat about? Have you decided to have a relationship with him, when things with Vera are still not clear? You don't want to become his mistress, do you?"

Mary looked mortified, thinking her friend could find herself in a situation with no easy way out.

"I'll admit that this situation is one I wish I wasn't in. It's all very gray, really. When I am away from him, I know that it would be wrong to be together that way, but, when he is near me, I can't help it. He's intoxicating to me. I have very little willpower to stop myself from falling for him. He kissed me and my entire body melted. He does something to me that I cannot explain."

"This is all very strange for me, you know." Mary sat back in the chair, grounding herself in reality. Her best friend in love with a friend of her father's? It sounded like an episode from Coronation Street.

"What's strange?" Anna didn't understand what could be so vexing.

"You're talking about somebody who I've seen with my father, for over a decade, sitting in a pub stool and talking and living miserably. I find it hard to think of him as a sexual being, that you could be attracted to him, to want to kiss him and sleep with him." Anna's demeanor reflected protestation, but Mary continued. "It's odd for me, but, I am not discounting your attraction or your feelings for him." When Mary saw Anna relax, she continued. "He is handsome. I'll give you that. Is he worth all your trouble, though? Do you love him or is your attraction to him clouding your senses? Can you see yourself having an affair?"

"I've never wanted to become somebody's mistress. I wasn't raised that way by my parents or godparents." She paused to gather her thoughts. "The way I see it, he's come to us because his marriage is over and he needs the proof to move on. He has too much at stake for us to get involved fully. He could lose his company and I don't want to be responsible for that, so, I don't think anything will come of it until we have the truth about Vera. If I can't handle my feelings for him, I will leave… but, as soon as we find the evidence and he has sued for divorce, even if the divorce has not been finalized, then, in my eyes, his marriage is over. If it is in our cards to continue this, whatever this is that we're doing and if he wants me….I wouldn't care and I would be with him, in whatever form that was."

* * *

><p>"You'll not be helping me with payroll. That's confidential, but you can help me process all the payments to our vendors and creditors and you can help me input the information into SAP Financials," confirmed Thomas. Anna didn't know what to think about him. He spent entirely too much time with Vera and Sarah, but, he was kind and patient with her. He was polite and it was not what Anna was expecting this week, as she started working in Accounting. She half expected him to be poisoned by Sarah and treat her in an ill manner, but, so far, he was not. That didn't mean she wasn't under scrutiny. With his relationship to Vera still tight, Anna could expect Thomas to give his boss a complete review of her abilities. Not that she ever slacked off, but she would try extra hard to learn everything Thomas said on the first explanation so she could avoid any more hassles with the troublesome trifecta.<p>

She also felt Phyllis' wandering eye constantly on her. That was hardest to understand. The gentle woman had hardly ever spoken to her, and she was not being mean now, but, there was something in the look she was being given. It felt accusatory. Of what, she wasn't sure. Next week would be her turn to work with Phyllis and she couldn't wait. Finally, she might be able to delve more into this woman's psyche and figure her out.

No sooner than they had started reviewing the SAP system, which Anna finally understood to be a very complex database that housed all of their invoices and spending, when Gwen reminded them that that it was time for their weekly team meeting. Anna loved these interruptions, as she learned so many things. It didn't hurt that she got to see Mr. Bates in command and he was very alluring and sexy when he was in charge. The entire team, except Vera, shuffled in and took a seat. It was a slow Monday morning and several of the pilots were there too, including Daisy, Michael, Jack and Alfred. Wedged between Thomas and Daisy, Anna fanned herself when she saw the man who was consuming all her thoughts arrive. He looked just as handsome as she expected.

Without preamble, he started. "I have exciting news. Thanks to Richard, Bates Airlift won the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account." There was applause from everybody around them and raucous cheers from Jack and Alfred. Everybody was excited, and Anna should be as well, but, all she could see was the passivity on Gwen's face. It masked disappointment from being excluded from the announcement. So, Richard had kept it a secret and not said anything? The smug man just sat there and took all the credit. He went on to say a few words, and never acknowledged what really happened. Of course he had done all of the ground work, his involvement and participation were definitely a key factor. Yet, Vinoth had distinctly credited his decision on Gwen's work. That ought to have been recognized in front of the team as well.

Gwen looked up and shared a smile with Anna and the blonde gave her an understanding look. Gwen would not do anything about it. She was very loyal to Mr. Bates and did not want to create a scene. Her winning the account was a fluke, not something done intentionally, thus, she wouldn't clamor for the attention or possible reward that she merited. Anna admired Gwen her restraint. They both knew the truth and Anna was confident that the truth always found a way out. In this case, she would help it along if she could. She would find a way to work it into a conversation with her client.

Mr. Bates went on to talk about what this meant for the company and how much work this account was forecasted to bring in. He spoke about needing to lease a new aircraft, just as big as Sophia and Grace, and hiring at least two new pilots and at least another office person to share in the workload. Sarah muttered something about it being time that somebody took the weight off of her, but Anna's mind took her in a different direction. They would have an open position? This was the opportunity that had prompted her to come to Bates Airlift to begin with. She wanted to leave investigations behind and do something else. How quickly life altered her course. The likelihood of staying on after the investigation was improbable. Her budding romance with the owner would make it highly improper. Yet, she imagined working with him every day, side by side. How wonderful that would be.

She realized she had been daydreaming about the possibilities a little too long when she heard everybody around her push their chairs out to leave. Before she went back to Thomas, she thought she might linger in the room to catch Mr. Bates' eyes. She hadn't seen him much since London and she was missing him terribly. She hoped he had been mopey, as Mary had called it, because he missed her too.

Anna managed some small talk with Daisy, listening to her rant about what hiring new pilots might mean for her. Stuck on Executive services, Mr. Bates might move her and Alfred along to start training on the Oil Platform runs. She mentioned something about training in specialized simulators in London, a goal of hers and something Mr. Bates only invested in when he felt a pilot worthy. Anna wanted to be excited for Daisy, but she kept trying to catch Mr. Bates' eyes and was only half listening to the enthusiastic girl. No matter how much she craned her head, she realized that he was engrossed in a conversation with Michael Gregson, no doubt about training as well and wouldn't be turning any time soon. When Daisy stopped talking, she excused herself and left, realizing her goal would not happen. She would have to find another way to get near him.

Just outside the meeting room, she encountered the man she had been trying to evade all morning. Richard stood casually outside the door, a little to the left so he couldn't be seen from inside, pretending to be looking for something in his pockets. When Anna saw him, she scanned the area and there was nobody else around. She panicked. There was no excuse she could use to go back to the meeting room and she moved forward, taking as wide a deviation from him that she could. It seemed he was waiting for her, because he blocked her path, moving towards her, on purpose. Anna stayed calm and remembered she had her trusty voice activated tape recorder with her. Whatever he had to say, it would be registered again. He underestimated her. When she was ready, she would fight back.

"Let me through Richard." She put one of her hands on her hips, a natural reaction of defiance, but she held her volume down. She didn't want to call attention to them.

"I'm waiting for you to come to me." He leaned forward and almost whispered. He too, did not want anybody else to overhear.

What an arsehole, Anna thought. "I am sure I don't know what you mean." She wasn't going to let him get off easy.

He leaned further towards her and Anna felt very uncomfortable. He invaded her personal space and in this office, it could cause people to talk. She leaned as far back as she could.

"You know exactly what I mean. You'll follow through if you know what is good for you." Anna did not have time to react or say something else. A voice from behind echoed strong and cynical words.

"Slacking off, aren't we? I knew it wouldn't be long before you showed your true colors." Anna never thought she would be so happy to hear Sarah talk to her, but she was. The sour woman had, in this occasion, provided the perfect exit strategy for her.

"Sorry for taking your time Richard. I need to get back to work." She didn't even acknowledge Sarah or her comment. She didn't even worry if the woman had heard part of their exchange. She made her way around him, walking towards the Accounting enclosure to continue working with Thomas.

* * *

><p>Anna was breaking his heart. Running into them at the Oil and Gas Summit was bad enough. He had spent a miserable weekend trying to understand what went wrong. He thought they had a connection. He wrongly believed, when he looked into her eyes on that rainy Friday, before the Summit, that he had seen her soul and found his match. It was true that they had not shared much time together. It was also true that he just met her, a couple of months not counting for much. But time was not important. He knew her and recognized her newfound importance in his life. A couple of kisses led him to understand that she had pierced his heart and that he could never be free of her. He had been waiting a lifetime for this feeling.<p>

They had not agreed on anything, only highlighting the reasons they could not be together. Was it possible that she had moved on because of those hardships? He wouldn't expect her to wait for him. He would never even ask that. Unless she came up with the evidence to free him herself, he would never be available for a relationship, as much as his heart yearned for her. Besides the love and passion he had for his corporation, he employed too many people. He felt responsible for their livelihoods. He could never enter into a clandestine liaison that would, if caught, force him to relinquish ownership. Without him at the helm, the company would fail and they would all be jobless.

He understood her, yet he felt betrayed. Not even a week had passed and she was already cozying up to Richard. He tweeted something that showed just how bitter he was. He regretted doing that. She read all his tweets. Wanting some clarity, he had been to see Robert, thinking that a chat with his friend might help, but the visit didn't. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to confess the true nature of his pain and he allowed Robert to think it was all Vera related. Even Mary eyed him suspiciously, but he said nothing. He wouldn't want to expose Anna in front of her friends, making her seem frivolous.

To lessen the pain, he found all sorts of justifications for her tryst with Richard, even thinking that his attentions might be unwanted, but he wasn't sure anymore. He walked out of the conference room shortly after she did. He had stayed as long as she was there, wanting to be in the same space as her. He couldn't bear to turn around, though, the hurt still palpable. Yet, he remained and once she left, decided to leave too. He found them again. Anna had her back to him and Richard was too focused on her to see him. Anna was flirting with him, had her hand on her hip, and he was leaning in. He was no expert on body language, but it looked like they were sharing a moment, reliving something secret. Richard had a mischievous look. It was too much. He couldn't stand it.

"Gwen, if I have any appointments, please cancel them for the next hour." He said it in a raised voice and closed the door behind, not waiting to find out her answer. He put his head between his hands and began to cry.

* * *

><p>"You needed me John?" Anthony carried in a diverse pile of manila file folders, not aware of what his Manager wanted to talk about. Whether it was the financial results of the last months, the month-end close, or a review of their spending, he was ready. "I've brought several files for our discussion, but, if you wanted to review the terms on the new Sikorsky we'll need to lease for the CONOCO account, I can bring that too."<p>

Anthony stood at the door, ready to bolt out if the files he brought were not what were needed. He looked at John with expectation.

"No, it's not that. I have to talk to you about a personal issue. Please close the door and take a seat." He had read Anna's report on Anthony Strallan. It broke his heart to see the evidence of his canoodling with Edna and while he agreed with Anna that he may not be the lover they were searching for, he appreciated that Carson's Private Investigators had uncovered this bit of information. They were worth every penny.

Once Anthony felt that he was off the hook, he took a seat and relaxed, expecting the conversation to be about John. He wasn't aware of what was in store for him.

"Are you sleeping with my wife?" John was direct and showed no emotion. He had decided he would not go easy on him.

All of the scarce color that adorned Anthony's face drained from him and he became deadly pale. It didn't take the man more than a few seconds to start shaking. He admired John greatly and he needed this job. He couldn't afford to upset his boss.

"How can you ask that?" He was barely able to say, his voice choked by the emotions that were betraying his confidence. He couldn't even look at John and John thought he looked guilty.

"Well, I'd like to believe you, but, you see…. I know you are hiding something from me and it has to do with Vera."

"I'm not sleeping with her," he confirmed with more energy, yet he couldn't look up.

"But you want to." John looked at him with fierceness in his eyes, born of the determination to get to the bottom of things, not from rage, which Anthony might suspect.

"I'm not sleeping with her," Anthony continued. He was still shaking. He had dared look up and into John Bates' eyes and he couldn't place the look his Manager gave him.

"But you want to. Admit it." This time John's voice came through with cynicism.

"Whether I want to or not is irrelevant. I am not sleeping with her." He was getting angry. "I don't understand this questioning. Have I done something wrong?"

"Yes, Anthony. I know you to be conspiring with Vera. I don't know what about….. But, I know that I cannot trust you as my Controller if you are not honest with me."

Anthony looked down again. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"We're not conspiring. She's helping me with something and in return, I am helping her with something else."

"So, what is it?" There was tempered restraint in the way John answered.

"I couldn't say. Really, I can't." Anthony's eyes implored John to give up this silly questioning.

"You can't or you won't say?" John would get to the truth and would not stop badgering Anthony until he had it.

"I can't."

John was incensed. This wasn't a competition, but, if Anthony had more respect for Vera than him, he had doubts that he could trust him with anything else.

"If you can't say….. why should I believe you when you say that you are not sleeping with her?"

Finally, Anthony had enough. He raised his voice to a level considered shouting, "I'm not and I never will as long as you are married to her."

Those words and Anthony's emotion hit John. The way they were said, he understood that Anthony did care for her and in that moment, he felt pity for the man. No doubt Vera knew it and was taking advantage of him.

"So, you have thought of it before."

"Fine. If you must know, I love her and I wish she wasn't married to you, but, I have never, ever, tried anything with her. I simply wouldn't do that to you. I have too much respect." There was nothing but truth in Anthony's demeanor.

John felt a stab in his heart. Not at learning that Anthony did love her, rather, in recognizing that he had been too harsh. Anthony looked embarrassed and belittled, forced to reveal something so personal. John surprisingly did not feel jealous at all. That Anthony loved her caused him no concern.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you into that revelation." John's tone of voice changed. This was the moment to start a different strategy. "Anthony, I need to trust you with the affairs of Bates Airlift and I am harboring some doubts. No matter what you feel for Vera, she is not above putting the firm in jeopardy for personal gain. I need you to please tell me what you are doing for her."

John already knew that Anthony had some involvement with Edna Braithwaite. Exactly what type is what he needed to know.

Anthony hesitated. John opened his desk drawer and produced the grainy picture Elsie Carson had managed to snap a few weeks ago when they had trailed him from the bank. He set it on the desk and moved it forward with the tips of his fingers, just close enough so that Anthony could see.

"What, pray I ask, are you doing talking to Edna? After all the near damage she did here?"

Anthony's eyes opened wide. "Are you following me?" His voice reflected clear bewilderment.

"No, I am not. This fell into my hands accidentally. I don't have a say in what you do outside of this office, but seeing you chatting with the woman who accused me of such horrible and untrue things has opened up a lot of negative feelings toward you. I won't lie."

"It's not what you think," Anthony sputtered out, clearly taken aback by John's comments.

John crossed his arms across his chest and tilted his chin upwards, his body language implying defiance and disbelief to what Anthony had said. He leaned back in his chair.

"Then, tell me what it is so that I can stop thinking what I am thinking."

Anthony was trying to maintain his dignity. Telling John would reveal his pitiful mistakes and his horrible judgment. It would mean certain dismissal and he couldn't afford that.

"It's quite embarrassing and private. I can assure you it has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me if you are maintaining any sort of contact with the lady who almost destroyed what I was trying to build." John paused to seek clarity in his words. "You are highly respected here. I've trusted your work for years and we have built something great. Don't let me think otherwise."

There was a clear hesitation from Anthony, coupled by a look of fear of having no way out of this situation. He would be damned if he told, but damned if he didn't. If he spoke, at least he might be forgiven for his stupidity. If he didn't, he might never get back John Bates' trust.

John continued to look at his friend with intensity and saw how little by little, the confidence and walls around him crumbled.

"Oh God, John. I screwed up very badly. This is what Vera is helping me with." He put his head between his hands and supported his upper body with his elbows on the desk in front.

John swore he heard a gasp coming from within. The man looked in agony.

"Go on." He tried to stay emotionless, waiting until he heard whatever tale Anthony had to share to react appropriately.

"About three years after we settled the lawsuit, Vera set me up with a friend of hers on a "blind date". I really didn't want to go, but I couldn't say no to her." He lowered his eyes and his voice decreased to above a whisper." I think you now know why." After a moment, he continued on his conversation with more volume to his words. "So, I went to the pub and waited for this friend to arrive and she didn't. But I stayed and ordered a drink, deciding to watch a bit of a cricket game that was on the telly. A few moments later, Edna arrived. At first, I was scared when I saw her, but she was nice to me. She said she was waiting for a friend and asked if she could wait with me in the meantime."

John couldn't help but think further into this tale. Vera trying to set up Anthony? She didn't have a lot of friends. He didn't trust her motivations to set him up one bit. He would even believe that Edna showing up was on purpose, not a coincidence.

"I didn't want to, but, I did not want to seem rude. I told myself I would finish my drink and leave. I really did want to steer clear of her. She chatted about trivial things. I politely continued the conversation until I could depart. She told me she needed to go the loo and left for a few minutes and when she came back, she had another drink for me. I only took a few sips of the new drink and I began to feel unwell. I excused myself and went to the loo too. When I returned, her friend had arrived, so, I decided to take my leave. They wouldn't let me, so I was forced to stay a little longer. I can't remember anything after that. The next day, I woke up in her bed, naked. She was naked, beside me."

"You slept with her?" John's incredulous voice echoed in the office. If the door hadn't been closed, everybody would have heard. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Anthony balked at John's accusatory reaction. "Apparently, but I cannot remember a thing about it. Edna says we did."

'Well, that's unexpected." John didn't know what to do. He put his hand to his forehead and started to rub.

"That's not all. I was relieved to get away from there, but she came looking for me several weeks later. She said she was with child and that the child was mine."

John's jaw dropped as he heard the tale that was being told. Anthony impregnating Edna? He wouldn't believe it. He had never seen Anthony lose control.

"She didn't force me to marry her, but I pay her a monthly stipend for the child. It is a lot of money; I've considered refinancing the mortgage on my flat to make things easier."

There was a child. He was trying hard not to feel offended that Anthony would do such a thing, but, part of his story did not seem right. Edna was not to be trusted. He knew too well what an expert she was at falsehood. He had done nothing to her, had not even approached her and she accused him of harassment. John wouldn't believe that Anthony was really the father of this child. Not unless he had seen the proof.

"And you are sure that the child is yours?"

"Of course it's mine. The dates match up."

"But have you got proof?" Anthony's naiveté was bordering on reckless. Who didn't get proof in these types of situations these days?

"What do you mean proof?" Anthony looked offended that John could question his paternity.

"Are you telling me you haven't gotten a DNA test to prove you are the father?" There was clear surprise in his voice. He reminded himself to not mock Anthony, as their conversation had already been laced with too much emotion.

"No, I haven't. She won't let me." Now Anthony looked forlorn.

"So, you are paying blindly and accept everything she says, even after she lied her way through court with me?"

Anthony did not want to comment on that. It was murky territory to bring up the harassment lawsuit, especially now that the accuser was the mother of his child.

"That's just it John. I wasn't sure if you weren't to blame. Vera made it seem like Edna was saying the truth and that you did harass her."

"You think I did harass Edna?" Out of the entire conversation, the possibility that he was still doubted in his innocence is what hurt him the most. The emotion in his voice made the words barely audible.

"I didn't believe it at the time, but, since then, Vera has made statements to me, explaining that you were less than honest about that." Anthony was contrite in his comment and his eyes reflected concern.

"And you believe her?"

Anthony didn't know what to say. Being in the middle of a husband and wife was the one thing that he never liked about working for Bates Airlift. He never knew who to believe whenever there were disagreements and disputes. He tended to side with John because he had the clearer business sense, but Vera swayed his heart. She had made him believe otherwise. He nodded in acceptance, although it would hurt the man.

"She's been helping me with Edna, trying to get her to let me see my son. She told me to avoid lawyers and the courts. They could only make things worse for me. She could accuse me of rape."

"So, that's what she's doing for you? Giving you advice as a confidant and being a go between with her?" Vera wasn't trustworthy at all and how was it that she was friendly with Edna after the lawsuit had almost obliterated their company when they were starting?

"Yes," said a relieved Anthony.

"And what are you doing for her?" Vera's interest was still missing from the story and if he knew his wife, she never did something unless there was a benefit to her.

"I do odd calculations for her, projections on a stock she wants to buy, valuation of the assets of a friend of hers. I promise you, all purely financial related."

"Let me help you, Anthony. Let me look into the law. If you are the father, you have rights. I think Vera is wrong."

* * *

><p>Something did not add up. She didn't know what it was, not being an Accounting expert, but after several days working with Thomas, there were parts of the process that seemed to have holes in them. She didn't think it was attributed to Thomas either- maybe the software they were using, but she had many unanswered questions on how flights were invoiced, then tracked and payments reconciled within the system. Thomas kept everything tidy and in order. He was very professional and had not held anything back from her. He had countless ledgers and she had access to all of them. When she started working with Phyllis it would all make more sense to her. Maybe she would find out why they were doing things manually and didn't have an electronic system. She had read about them in school, that they were available and had even seen a couple of software vendors at the Oil and Gas summit. She'd seen some very interesting demos and thought, during those presentations, that Bates Airlift had something similar. Now, she understood they didn't. Maybe they were too expensive to invest in with a company of this size. Whatever the reason, it made her think that Bates Airlift was too exposed. While they were excellent at flying, her previous experience with Sarah's antiquated scheduling methods and now this, led her to think that they were lousy at managing their business.<p>

IF she were honest with herself, she would have to admit that Thomas was quite pleasant, even after several days. If it was a façade, he had not dropped it. If he was being genuine, she didn't understand how he could be so nice and spend so much time with Sarah, who was insufferable. Maybe their personalities complemented each other. He was diligent in his work, in comparison to his friend and complained very little. He stayed until his work was finished and did many checks to make sure he was accurate. He did, though, on occasion, leave to accompany Sarah and smoke or sit with Vera and chat. She'd heard all of the conversations with Vera, her recording methods still working quite well. It was mostly Vera talking about herself and how Mr. Bates was such a sorry loser. Thomas always laughed and followed the conversations, but he never added much talk about himself or what he was doing. They were mostly one sided.

It was on one of those occasions, when Thomas was out sharing a smoke with Sarah, that Anna decided to get herself some tea. She needed a break and an opportunity to distract herself a few minutes. She also needed an excuse to see if Mr. Bates was in his office and catch a glimpse of him. She could make an extra cup and offer it to Gwen and that could get her in the vicinity.

It was peculiar, that after several days, there had been no chat or discussion between them. He had tweeted again, something odd, but slightly in character –

**Flying takes your mind off of your troubles. #women **

Anna did not comprehend if it was still a result of his moodiness or if he was trying to be a philosopher. Feeling sad herself, at the loss of their contact, she decided to tweet something too. Hopefully, he would understand that she was missing him also.

**Good things come to those who wait #patienceisavirtue**

That was yesterday.

When she had finished preparing the cups of tea, she reached up into the cupboards to look for the biscuits that they usually placed on the saucer, when she heard steps, indicating somebody was coming into the small kitchen area. Her first reaction was fear. Being alert to avoid Richard had made her jumpy and she turned with fierceness, thinking she would come face to face with the resident predator. If need be, she would throw the hot liquid at his crotch. Then he would know just how appealing to her, the thought of being with him would be. But, it wasn't Richard. She stood facing Mr. Bates himself.

"Anna," was all he could say and he looked hesitant to stay. He appeared to be making the determination to leave.

"Mr. Bates, I've not seen you in a couple of days. How nice to see you." Anna was nervous. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because his gaze did not give off the evidence of his longing for her like they had done in the past. He was cold.

"I've been busy," was all that he could say. At that point, and without much excuse, it would have been awkward to leave. He didn't have much choice and came in.

"I made an extra cup of mint tea. I was going to offer it outside. Would you like it?"

That was exactly what he had come in to get. He needed a mint infusion now that it was mid-afternoon. Anything else was too strong for him and yet, he couldn't bring himself to accept it. He wouldn't succumb to her charms. Now that she had chosen another man, he had to break free. It started with not accepting her tea. It was only tea, but, it was the gesture. It really was about more than tea.

"Thank you, but I am in the mood for coffee." He came in directly and started to move things around, setting up the filter and ignoring her. He poured a packet of ground roast into the filter basket and pressed the button to brew in record time.

Anna felt snubbed. He didn't have to take her tea, but he was not being very courteous. He looked upset, as if he were purposely trying to give her the cold shoulder.

"Have I upset you?" She only dared ask that question because there was nobody around to witness his answer and if he was, because of where they were, he would also temper his response.

He turned briefly, acknowledging the question and raising one eyebrow. "Should I be upset?" He immediately turned back towards the task at hand. The coffee maker was nothing if not quick. He had positioned an empty cup in the holder and the sounds of percolation alerted them to the start of a flow of hot liquid.

Damn him and his cryptic answer. He was almost assuredly upset and she could think of no real reason for it. Nothing she had done would warrant such an attitude.

"Not that I am aware of."

"Then, I am not upset." His words were gentle, but his entire body language rendered him untrue. He was tense and his jaw was set and he would not look at her. He took the mug by the handle and pulled it out, even if there was still some trickling of hot liquid. He really didn't intend to drink it at that point, thus, sugar and milk were not needed. He didn't even remove the used filter and soggy coffee grinds. He was in a hurry to leave. He would come back later to pick up. He took his coffee, smiled cynically and left the room.

Anna was speechless. The man she loved was being a fool and she didn't know why. She did something, it seemed to him, and for all the detective skills she had mastered, she couldn't figure it out. She was stumped.

* * *

><p>Nighttime found Elsie crouching yet again. This time, it was not raining and it wasn't so cold and she could wear her black stealth outfit which was practical and comfortable. On top of her clothing, she wore a fisherman type black vest with an infinite amount of pockets that held all sorts of gadgets that might be necessary. She wore a wire, connected to her ear, for Charles to relay instructions. She had her professional camera with a telescopic lens. She was ready.<p>

Any minute now, they would expect Vera to make her arrival, the GPS signal her automobile was emitting confirming that she was taking her usual route. Charles and Elsie had arrived early, this time, intending to catch images of her lover. For surveillance, they didn't go light. They may be a small operation, but what they lacked in manpower, they made up for it in technology. They wanted to put an end to their night time follies and the only way to do that was to pepper the area with cameras, able to catch him at any angle. They came in their large van too, the one enabled for such missions, allowing a live feed and to redirect the cameras with the most advantageous views to zoom in on their target. They had deliberated in the past when to change to this approach from their more simple surveillance tactics and both had a feeling that today they would have no delays or issues. Vera would come, as would her lover. They didn't want to prolong the investigation further, not when Anna was still in jeopardy working next to John Bates. No matter what Anna said, they could no longer trust him after learning of the accusations levied against him. The sooner they were finished with this case, the better it would be for all of them.

Charles manned the vehicle, currently stationed in the waterworks car park next door, and he had a good view to the entire SG Petch lot. The cameras had been placed on light poles that surrounded the area. Adding them had been a challenge and they had come the night before, in the cover of darkness, to carry out the arduous task of affixing them to a solid surface. They ran the risk of having them discovered during the day, but they were not. Charles thought that the owners of the car franchise were doing a poor job of security if he and Elsie could spend so much time on their premises, at night, and not be discovered. Their failures turned out to be his successes, as he now sat in front of six video monitors, supervising the live feed from each apparatus they'd placed. He could even see his dear Elsie, his eyes and "smart hands" on the ground, ready to take on any challenge.

"Elsie, I want to ravish you." came across the wire. Charles was feeling frisky. With Elsie having been sick for a while, he'd had to abstain from any encounters with his wife until she was truly well. He thought she was being overly cautious the last few days when she had fended him off. She looked fine, but she had insisted they wait a few more. His need for his wife was keened and this was as good as any time to get her in the mood. Maybe when they finished tonight they could celebrate closing this case. Until that happened, they had nothing else to do now until one of the two lovers showed up. Everything was set and ready. He could afford a few minutes to play.

Elsie turned toward the nearest light pole with a camera and stared straight at it. "Are you kidding me Charles?" She was surprised he would use this moment to say such things, but, the instant he said it, a thrill coursed through her veins. He had such a deep and sexy voice, that when used it against her in a game of seduction, he could easily win. Just saying things to her, without even the benefit of a touch would arouse her instantly. That was the first thing that attracted him to her when they had met. In the span of their working relationship, he'd done this a couple of times. She didn't expect him to try it on her now, not when they needed full focus.

"I am zooming in on you." Regardless of her reaction, he would persist. "I can see you entirely, every inch of you. The way you are crouching, I can see the perfect silhuotte of your behind. Imagine I am massaging that fine arse of yours. From there, my hands will run over the contours of your hips, across your belly and to my prize. Your breasts may be hidden by that hideous vest, but I know them well. "

She started to feel too hot, covered from head to toe, and it wasn't the fever she'd had in the last days. He was making her dizzy and she enjoyed the sensations he was generating. He was a master of words and she decided she would play along. "Yes, and what would you do with Maude and Emma?" her raspy voice asked. Through the camera zoom, he could see her push them up and forward. She was finally responding to his game.

"The girls are lovely and they deserve all my attention. First, I would…" Suddenly, he paused. "Stay down Elsie. I see movement on one of the cameras. A man is making his way towards the lot from close to where I am." Elsie's virtual seduction would be put on hold. He was sure though, that tonight would be his night.

"He is still going towards you. I think this is our man." Elsie had crouched behind a large automobile, but could see through the glass windows. Charles kept feeding her information. "He's entered the lot and he looks like he knows where he is going."

"Have you got pictures of him already?" whispered Elsie, keeping her voice down, even when she was too far to be heard. The target vehicle was clear across the lot.

"The video feed is still recording and I have zoomed in to get some clearer images, but, he is wearing a hat, glasses, a peacoat and a scarf covering up to his chin. He is trying to be very inconspicuous and I do not have a clear shot of his face. I hope Anna can identify him because I cannot recognize him from all the pictures on the dossiers."

Elsie remained on the ground. "We also have the pictures from inside the van. Hopefully he will have taken off all those layers when servicing Vera."

"Servicing?" Charles wanted to laugh. Elsie was not very direct when talking about intimate matters. Well, neither was he. He avoided most words altogether.

"You know what I mean Charles. Don't make me be blunt about it."

By then, the man had reached the vehicle. Charles had the closest camera zooming in, but the images of him were still unclear.

"That's odd. He's not entering the car from the back. He has keys and is entering from the front." He thought for a moment. The camera would not get a direct picture of his face when it detected the movement and started snapping pictures. They were likely to get a shot of his back since he was entering the back from the chauffer's partition.

From one of the other cameras, he detected movement on his video screen. A taxi was pulling into the front of the lot, on Monks Cross road. He suspected Vera had arrived and it was confirmed a moment later when long legs emerged from the taxi. Charles had to admit Vera was alluring. He wouldn't tell Elsie that, but the woman was very pretty and still attractive at her age. She also had quite a seductive walk. He saw her saunter into the lot in the direction of the car.

"Vera's here too, love. She's walking towards the target."

Elsie was relieved. She was looking forward to this being the last time she was on the floor in this lot. The gravel cement they used was not very comfortable.

Charles was relieved when Vera opened the van from the back. The camera needed to get a clear shot of her and a subsequent shot of her disrobing. It was most likely that they would succeed if she entered from the back.

"She's in, love. You can move forward." Charles gave his command and he saw Elsie make her way slowly across the lot. They already had the device installed in the car, but it could very well fail. It was always best to be prepared. She couldn't get too close. The couple was already paranoaic, going out of their way to create this deception.

She was a car away, heading to the vehicle from its front end. From her spot, she could see some light from within, but it was not enough to get a clear shot of anybody. All she saw were shadows and movement. Then she realized the van was actually swaying. The shock absorbers were not doing a good job because the vehicle was creaking. Those inside were obviously having a good time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I promise you Bates will find the truth very soon and he and Anna will get on the right track. That is the only thing I will confirm to keep your minds at ease. I am, after all, a BANNA shipper, not Julian Fellowes. Have Elsie and Charles finally gotten the proof of the affair? Will Anna find out who the lover is? Will Richard get his comeuppance? Will Gwen ever get acknowledged? Still so many questions left unanswered and it will take several more chapters to resolve all of it. We are nowhere near the end on this one, so, please stay with me. **

**Also, some folks have started to throw guesses in reviews of how some of these things might resolve themselves – guessing at who the lover is or what the next plot point is going to be. I love it! I won't answer back if you are right or wrong, but, if we get to a pivotal chapter, when things start resolving themselves, I will acknowledge who might have guessed correct. **

**I am also delayed in answering my latest reviews. I will catch up by the next chapter. **


	11. Bare Breasts and Hidden Wires

**Hello Readers! This installment is approximately 9.2K words. When I reached 17K within the planned contents of this chapter, I decided I would split it for easier reading, thus, there is no BANNA in this edition. Next chapter will feature them a plenty. For the same reason, there is plenty of CHELSIE in this one, but not a lot in the next. Both are pivotal chapters, so I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>John was delighted the weekend was here. He had spent most of the day with the MP of the region, Hugh Bayley, The Economic Council of York and other small business owners. The topic of the day was trying to bring more jobs to the area. The region's unemployment was growing and apparently, at 8.5%, they were among the highest in the nation. It was well received that Bates Airlift had just won a major contract against a London based company. He felt like a celebrity for the day, lauded and appreciated by his area peers. In all, he thought he might be adding no more than four positions, and he declared his contribution as minimal, but, the Economic Council saw it as positive and he was applauded any way. He was glad to be doing his part for the community. At least one part of his life was going in the direction he wanted.<p>

He made it back to his desk, wondering if he needed to be there at all. It was Friday evening and most of his staff had already left or would be doing so soon. There was nothing urgent that needed his attention. He peered at his desk, going over the neat piles of file folders. He discovered a single sheet of paper he did not have when he left yesterday evening. It was positioned where his eyes would be drawn to it.

I TOLD YOU ONCE. YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST ALL YOUR PERSONNEL. THERE IS DECEIT ALL AROUND YOU. HEED MY WARNING.

Again? He scratched his head in confusion. Or wait….Was this the same document? Had Anna returned it to his desk? No, it couldn't be. This was the same wording he had received over a year ago, except I TOLD YOU ONCE was added at the front. This was what prompted him to start the investigation on Vera. He wondered if it had to do with anything else. He would have to talk to Anna. She might have more theories. He fretted. But how? He remembered that he had been a complete idiot to her yesterday. It wasn't her fault he was married. She was right in looking elsewhere. Richard was a dapper man. Of course she would be more interested in him than in waiting for broken divorcee.

At that moment, the object of his affection passed by and muttered a nondescript good evening. With Phyllis right behind her, they were the last to leave the office. On a whim, he headed out to watch her. He stood for a while, behind Gwen's desk, almost hidden by the office's partitions, but not quite. He was lucky her vehicle was at the far end of the car park. It gave him enough time to observe the cadence of her hips as they swayed when she walked. She had a fine figure and an elegant neck. She had grace even when she moved. She really was an angel. Anna turned without warning, perhaps sensing his eyes upon her. He reacted by hiding behind a wall. He left, not watching her get into her automobile.

* * *

><p>"What are you staring at Charles?" Elsie placed her hands on her hips, slightly annoyed. Charles was obviously mesmerized, observing a clear picture of a topless Vera. She could tell over his shoulder that he was going through the dozens of incriminating pictures they had sourced, yet he was enthralled with one in particular. In this line of work, they had seen their fair share of deceitful spouses, caught with minimal or no clothes on and engaged in otherwise adulterous activities. Some of the prints bordered on pornographic. She was used to it. This was their job. She shouldn't mind too much, only she did, especially when the target was younger and alluring. She was secure in her husband's affections, but who would want their man to be staring at pictures of a naked younger woman and giving himself something to compare her too?<p>

"I was just looking for the best print to provide Mr. Bates." His expression was one of humiliation. He had been caught staring at Vera's round and very bare breasts. They were beautiful, he had to admit. Just before Elsie arrived, he was thinking that they were perfect and showed no signs of aging, even when Vera was getting on. She wasn't 20. Perhaps she had invested in breast augmentation. They were too perky. It wasn't natural, he decided. Now that Elsie was here, he closed the image on the monitor quickly.

"Mmm. Were you now?" Elsie was not convinced. Her brow furrowed and she gave him an inquisitive look. "Maybe I should do this."

She moved forward, not giving him much time to protest and pushed herself in between him and the desk until she was in front of the monitor that displayed their loot. She knew they had been successful, but she didn't know that they had amassed more than 100 clear images of Vera. Their laptop was full of them. There was Vera undressing, Vera completely nude, Vera performing fellatio and Vera coupling with a man who was not, probably, Mr. Bates. It was a goldmine, just what they needed – except - the lover's face was not visible in any of pictures. Due to the positioning of the camera, at the top part of the wall that separated the driver from the backside of the van, it had not captured an image of his face. They had most of his legs, his genitals and his lower abdomen. That was it. The man had not entered the van from the back, as Vera had, thus, they were still stuck not knowing who he was. All they could perceive, from the images of him walking towards the vehicle, was that he was tall. Over six feet. Hopefully, Anna could narrow it down.

"It's really not necessary Elsie." Charles tried to not look at her, lest she discover that he had certainly been ogling Vera. She could see right through him. All it took was one glance and she would know. He didn't want to have that conversation with her.

"Let's see." She ignored what Charles had said. "Is this the picture you were looking at?" Elsie opened a random file. It was Vera in a bra. This was not the one. "No, I think not," she expressed loudly. She could hear Charles fidget in his seat. She wanted him to squirm and suffer a little. She opened a couple more, quickly, without saying much. Then, she found one. Maybe it wasn't the one she was seeking, but it was similar and it would serve a purpose.

She turned to look at him. "Is this what you were looking at?" Charles gazed toward the monitor. Vera had ecstasy written all over her face. Her breasts were on display again. "Is this what had you with your mouth open, salivating?"

"Elsie, what are you trying to gain by humiliating me?" Charles huffed. "One of us has to go through the pictures and put together a portfolio. This isn't new, and if I recall, you hate doing it."

Charles seemed ready to want to leave his chair, but Elsie stared him down and he remained, inert and unknowing of what to do next. Was Elsie really mad? He couldn't read her. Was she just joking?

"The difference, love, is that I came upon you, with your mouth open, clearly affected by Mrs. Bates' bodily attributes." Elsie turned her body to face his and she stepped forward. She leaned in, holding the backrest for support.

Charles' face reflected surprise. Elsie's face was inches from his. Their breaths mingled, but Charles dared not move.

"Maude and Emma don't like it when you ignore them to look at other women." Charles had given her breasts those pet names early in their relationship and they had never stopped using them. Just the mention of them always made him frisky.

"But I…" Charles tried to respond. He would take Elsie's attributes over those of any woman, every single time. How could she even think otherwise? If she let him, he'd touch them now. He was always dying to fondle them.

"Silence," Elsie stopped him from talking. Charles complied. Elsie's grin, though, started to give way and Charles understood the situation. Elsie would make him pay for looking at Vera, in the best way she knew how. She would torture him with her body and show him who was boss. Oh how he loved this woman.

"You know what's going to happen, right, love?" She nibbled at his earlobe. She sat down and straddled him.

"I think so, yes."

"Maude and Emma are going to make you forget you ever saw those images." She kissed him. When he tried to deepen it, she continued. "I'll show you a real woman."

Oh my. This was torture indeed.

* * *

><p>Anna hurried to her godparent's house as soon as she received the text from them telling her to come over. They said they had a breakthrough. She should be happier than she was. Evidence meant Mr. Bates could move forward with his divorce and the two of them might be able to see more of each other. If only. She didn't know what had gotten into him. Even after his rude outbreak, she caught him staring at her when she was leaving the compound today. He turned back when she caught him. She couldn't tell what was on his mind. Was he having second thoughts about them? Did he think she wasn't interested? She tried not to think about it, but Vera's words taunted her whenever she grew weary. He liked younger women, his wife assured Thomas in the taped message she heard. Might she have been just a symptom of something else? She wouldn't want to believe it; that he could use her. She thought that she had seen his true nature at the castle – yet, he had sexual harassment charges brought against him from a younger woman. It was hard for her to wrap her head around that. Him, a predator? He wasn't anything like Richard. Whatever happened between them, she never felt he was taking advantage of her. Her sixth sense told her that something else was bothering him. Now was not the time, though, to think about that. Today she had to concentrate on Vera. She needed to see what Pops and Elsie had.<p>

"Hello….." she opened the door to their flat with the key she had. They knew she was coming, this wouldn't be a surprise. She had no response. She walked in further, depositing her light coat and handbag on one of the perches for visitors. She closed the door behind her.

"Pops, Elsie…..are you here?" She said it louder this time and her voice reverberated through the residence. If they were here, they would hear her. Muffled sounds came from their office and she walked towards it. Before she could turn the knob on the door, it creaked open and Pops' head peeked out. His usual serene complexion was replaced with reddish skin and a sheen of sweat accumulating above his brow.

"We'll be right out love. Wait for us in the dining room." He closed the door again, without her acknowledgement.

Anna heard additional muffled noises. Wait. Did she just walk in on them? Doing that? She covered her face with palms of her hands and froze where she stood. Oh, Lord. Why, why, why…? She couldn't help but get a mental image in her mind. She shook herself all over to dispel those thoughts.

"Don't mind me," she exclaimed loudly. "I'll just go put on a kettle and listen to some conversations….all the way in the kitchen," she added for dramatic measure. _Where I'll kill myself_ – she mouthed cynically so they couldn't hear.

They knew she was coming for God's sake. They had asked her to visit. The last thing she needed was her horny Godparents reminding her of how terrible her own love life was. It made her desire Mr. Bates even more. She huffed as she walked towards the kitchen. At least far away, in this corner of the flat, she wouldn't have to see them emerge from the room, probably sated and glowing and a little bit embarrassed. Couldn't they keep away from each other for just a wee bit? In her devious mind, she reckoned she ought to embarrass them by standing in the same spot and wait for them to come out, but as painful as that might be for them and momentarily fun for her, it would be more irritating for her in the long run. It had been a while since she had seen any action. It was more than a year since she and her last boyfriend had broken things off. Mr. Bates' kisses were the only contact she'd had since. Even Mary had a date tonight – with Matthew Crawley, of all people. Mary was right when she said he was checking her out. At some point during the week, he had obtained her number from his mother and called her. She had excitedly agreed to go on a date. Love was all around her and she wasn't sure she could handle all their smug and happy faces.

She didn't waste any time setting up the water to boil. It had been a long afternoon in the office too and she needed to relax. It was Friday. A good cup of hot tea would set her in the mood. Elsie's cupboards were always stocked with the varieties Anna enjoyed and she found what she was looking for – a nice citrus explosion blend.

She went about listening to some of the taped conversations that she had not gotten to yet. Nothing from Richard stood out. He had plenty of Sales calls. If anything, she had to agree that he was a dedicated worker. He also called his mother and was as sweet as pie with her. What a double faced arse, she thought.

When she finished with him, she turned to Anthony Strallan's calls. The last one stood out.

"I've given you all the money I can Edna. I would have to take out a second post to give you more."

There was a resolve in his voice that Anna had never heard before. He was always a talkative man, but he was courteous and accommodating. This was different. He had also identified the caller as Edna, which finally gave Anna the verbal confirmation she needed to link them definitely together.

"Yes, I am sure you would like that, but I already work myself to the bone. I don't want to take a second post. We can resolve this other ways, but I don't think you would like that."

Anna was surprised and wondered if Mr. Bates had managed a conversation with Anthony. She wasn't aware if he had used the data they had provided him. Maybe he had, because this was not the Anthony she was used to. Having worked with Thomas this week, she had a direct view of his comings and goings and had interacted with him more. The Controller was very kind and sometimes meek, and outside of his interactions with Vera, very measured. It was odd, then, that he came back from Mr. Bates' office this week in a harried state and closed the door behind him, not emerging in the entire afternoon. Thomas had commented that he had probably received a smacking from the boss, and nothing else was mentioned by the rest of the team. She didn't think it was her place to say anything and as always, Phyllis did not look up to acknowledge. She kept working. If he had received a talking to from his boss, this conversation would be the only clue.

Pops and Elsie were still not there and she moved on to Vera. The tea was ready and she poured herself a cup. She fast forwarded every conversation that she determined was of no use. One was intriguing.

"Hello love. What are you up to?"

"What do you mean he was rude? Anthony doesn't have a rude bone in his body."

"I see. What else did he say?"

"Fine, I'll talk to him and find out what he's up to. It'll have to be next week, though. I have a waxing appointment at Maisie's Beauty Salon."

"Yes, you ought to try their Brazilian. They're very thorough."

"We should have tea soon and I'll tell you all about John's latest stunts."

"All right, Cheerio."

Anna wondered if that was Edna. It had to be if they were talking about Anthony's rudeness. After what she heard of his conversation, she wouldn't say he was rude, just strong and forceful, but others could misconstrue it as rude. What surprised her of this exchange, if it was Edna, was Vera's desire to discuss her husband's activities. Hadn't Edna brought suit against him for sexual harassment? As a spouse, wouldn't you want to steer clear of her? Something just wasn't right.

"How are you, love?"

Anna was so deep in thought from the last conversation that she did not hear Pops finally come into the kitchen.

"I'm good. How about you?" She couldn't avoid answering with a cheeky grin. She implied much with her eyes, which now scrutinized him.

"Quite well, thank you. Elsie will be out shortly." He raised an eyebrow at her cheekiness and reached forward to kiss her, but Anna noticed something and stopped him.

"In a hurry, were you?" He had mismatched the button with the corresponding button hole. His shirt was misaligned. She undid the first set, wanting to help.

He closed his eyes, wishing for the earth to swallow him.

"Let's just get you all dressed up." She set the first pair of buttons right, but his hands stopped her.

"Why don't you take care of the tea service and bring it into the dining room and I'll finish this." He turned to avoid her and Anna chuckled inwardly. Her Godparents were really adorable, she had to admit. She wanted to be like them when she was that age.

"All right Pops. I've got it." She moved the kettle, cups, saucers and some biscuits onto a tray and joined Elsie who had now reached the dining room table.

"Hello love, have we got a treat for you." Elsie was hoping to head right into the topic at hand and avoid any further embarrassing moments between all of them.

Anna smiled knowingly.

"Pops will be right out. He's just finishing getting dressed in the kitchen." She did want to start right away, but she wanted to get the last jab in before they got down to business. It worked. Elsie couldn't face her.

"So, what is it? Do tell."

"We got her. We have the evidence of infidelity." Elsie's voice was clearly enthusiastic.

"Oh my God. Show me." Anna's hands flailed excitedly. "I knew she was up to no good."

Elsie positioned the laptop in front of her. Anna moved forward, focusing on the screen.

"We have at least 100 images of all types. I'll just open one randomly." Elsie chose one she hadn't seen and double clicked on the image. Both her and Anna's eyes opened wide as they saw Vera putting her mouth on some man's very erect penis.

"Oh my," shuddered Anna, not sure of what else to say. She jumped back and put her hands in the air, blocking the crude image from her sight. The picture of Vera couldn't be any clearer. Anna was excited at their success. She hugged Elsie tightly.

"You are brilliant for getting this." Anna's eyes sparkled. There was intensity to her words.

Elsie was startled momentarily. Of course Anna should be content, being successful in any case was always a reason to celebrate, but Elsie wondered if Anna's exuberance wasn't a symptom of more than just happiness at the case being resolved. Anna had never been this elated with any case. Ever. She was usually cynical.

She put on a smiling façade to continue with the conversation. She didn't think confronting Anna was the way to go about it.

"Oh, it was all in a day's work. You know us," she responded.

For all of Anna's joy, she had hoped to have been the one to discover the identity herself. She would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed. It might mean leaving Bates Airlift for good and she wasn't ready for that.

"So, who is he?" She better get on with it, regardless of the disappointment.

"Can you believe that we do not have an image of this man's face?" Elsie crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips in frustration.

"What? How is that possible?" Anna commandeered the keyboard and opened another random image, trying to disprove Elsie. "There must be one of him in here." Every time she opened one, she shuddered with the graphic images she has to see, but realized what Elsie said was true. There was no man's face in any of them. Only manly body parts. She couldn't fathom how lucky she was.

"Pops has been through every single image. We do not have his likeness on this set. We only captured him as he arrived and we were hoping you could help us identify him." Elsie took back control and maneuvered through the hierarchy of files on the storage drive to access the video of the man arriving to the car lot. It was not clear to them, but Anna knew the men better. She might distinguish him, if the lover was an employee at all.

"That should be easy." Anna looked confident. "I know all the men."

"Yes, but the image isn't clear." She pressed play. She should have waited for Pops, because if she had, she would have known that he had not edited the video yet for all of the footage they had acquired from the prior evening. Elsie fast forwarded a few seconds and stopped randomly - right on the spot where she was cupping herself and pushing her breasts forward, staring straight at the camera. She had forgotten all about Charles' audio seduction of the night before and that she had responded to his words with that action. She had no clue he was already taping.

Anna's entire head shifted to stare at her Godmother. She couldn't avoid the annoyance in her voice. "Really Elsie? You and Pops are going to give me a complex. Can you tone down the love until I am not around?"

Elsie blushed furiously and pressed fast forward a few more seconds.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"Yes, I imagine I wasn't." Anna's head had shifted again to look at the screen.

"There, that's him." A clear image of the man, walking towards the target car was discernible.

"Who is that? He has so much stuff on I can hardly tell. Play that back. He's getting smaller." Anna moved her line of sight to several angles, hoping to see something different, something that would stand out to her.

"We have him on several video feeds, but this is the best one." She rewound until she had the best image of him and froze the screen.

"He's tall." That was all Anna could come up with. "I can't discern the method of walking."

"Pops estimates between six feet, one inch and six feet, four inches." Elsie zoomed in on the head, hoping Anna could recognize any of the features. The image was taken at night and zooming in did not help make it easier.

"That doesn't really narrow it down too much and I don't recognize any of the clothing. He's wearing a hat and a coat."

"Any of the men wear hats?"

"Not that I've noticed before." Anna couldn't hide her true feelings of excitement. She still had a case to continue working on and she still had an excuse to go to Bates Airlift every day. She couldn't have planned this better. Mr. Bates had what he needed to start the process and she could still be a part of his life.

"Why are you smiling?" asked a confused Elsie. "This does not help us."

"I guess I am just happy that I can still be of value in this case. The answer will have to come from me."

"Oh my child. I wonder about you sometimes. I would think you would want this to be over. You look absolutely exhausted handling both things at once."

"I am exhausted, but this is the most fun I've ever had on a case." Elsie did not need to know of her ulterior motives.

"So, where are we?" exclaimed Pops as he came back into the room. His shirt buttons now matched and he looked presentable, as if nothing had happened.

"She's seen everything and she doesn't recognize him," offered Elsie, cluing Charles on their conversation thus far.

"What about last week's absence? Were you able to get any information?" Pops remembered how the week neither of them showed up might be helpful for narrowing down the choices.

"I do, actually, have some information that would reduce the choices." She took out her notes. "I'll cross reference my list with the heights of the men and that should help."

"I've already compiled a list of the men's heights. I thought it might be useful."

"You lovely, lovely man." Anna leaned across the table to give Pops a kiss on the cheek. "You just saved us some time. So, maybe we should talk about whose height no longer makes them a candidate?"

Pops agreed and offered the names of those that fit that description.

"Right. According to my calculation, that would be Jack Ross, Tom Branson, James Kent and Tony Gillingham. Everybody else is above 6 feet."

Anna looked dumbfounded. "Only four?" She brought her hand to her temple, trying to visualize all the other men. Mr. Bates was tall and the others often exceeded even him.

Pops nodded. "Yes, only four. You are working in a land of giants, it would seem."

Her visual recount of the men completed, she started to make sense of the data. "I already eliminated Tom Branson and Jack Ross. I never included James, but, with him and Tony, that means we only eliminate two."

"Is Tony or Anthony, whatever you call him, the playboy?" Elsie was trying to remember. "Or the one you think is gay?"

"Yes, the playboy. Mmmm. Good to know he has common sense in his promiscuity. Knowing your boss' wife is off limits – smart." Anna rolled her eyes. "James is the one whom I think is in the closet and in denial." Anna sighed. She was expecting a better outcome. She might be able to eliminate a couple more from her own results.

"Now, about the absences…Last week was eventful for many of the men. Richard was in London with Gwen and I. William had to leave early, as he became sick when Branson pranked him into eating a something with nuts in it."

"Why is that a prank?" Pops couldn't make sense of her comment.

"Tom didn't realize William was telling the truth when he said he was allergic. He offered a walnut muffin but said it was bran. William had an anaphylactic reaction and Daisy needed to fly him to the hospital. He was lucky that we had a chopper and pilot available."

"Oh, poor fellow." Elsie shuddered.

"Indeed. He was treated quickly and is quite well, but Tom felt so guilty and was so concerned, he's done everything he can to make it up to William. He has spent the whole week apologizing. I felt so sorry for both of them. Tom is a good guy who made a really idiotic choice."

Anna shuffled her papers. "Let's see. Michael Gregson and Evelyn Napier were on a North Sea run. There was a low ceiling of weather off the coast allowing for no visibility. I'm told those are horrible flying conditions. They took a two hour delay on the oil platform until it dissipated and they could come back. They would have arrived a lot later than usual. It isn't likely that either could make it on time to a rendezvous with Vera."

She looked up. "That's it. Those are the men who were out on that night and couldn't have made it to see her. They were also in town yesterday, when these pictures were taken. The others are Anthony Strallan, Alfred Nugent and Thomas Barrow. Thomas is gay, so out of the heterosexual men, we can assume Anthony and Alfred are not the ones. This doesn't mean they are absolutely not the lovers. For all we know, Vera might have cancelled herself for any number of reasons. This just makes them less likely."

Elsie repeated the list of lingering candidates. "We've agreed that the remaining men are Richard Carlisle, Michael Gregson, Evelyn Napier and William Mason?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>What an eventful evening. She still couldn't believe that they finally had some evidence for Mr. Bates. He would want to know immediately. Without further delay, she wrote a summary for him in dropbox, but did not add any of the files. She suggested they all meet at Crawley's pub the next evening and to tweet her something appropriate if he agreed.<p>

Before going to sleep, she started going through all of Richard's and Vera's files. Besides what she had of Richard's on his laptop, she had also managed to steal into Vera's office and copy all of the documents she found in her desk. Vera had a lot of investments, but, nothing stood out to her. Still, she had to keep looking to and try to make sense of everything.

She had set the "Turn notification on" feature for his account, thus, when she woke, she realized that he had tweeted during the night. She also had a notification of having been mentioned in somebody else's tweet.

She looked at his account first.

**I LOVE FULLERS 1845 #gonnagetmesometonight**

He was getting good at tweeting and double meanings. He had even attached an image of a bottle of this British beer. There could be no doubt in her mind that he did want a meeting and that it would be where she suggested and at 6:45pm, no less. That was ingenious of him. The only problem was that he kept tweeting his geolocation, no matter how many times she told him how to turn it off. She momentarily worried it might cause them problems in the future, but relaxed when she remembered that with the evidence they had, that they might not need to be this hidden any longer.

The other tweet was baffling. She wondered if it was spam.

** EYEINTHESKY YOU MIGHT JUST FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. DO NOT DESIST.**

She looked at the tweeter's profile. The name on the account was _Seeker of Truth_ with the user name incognitohelper. There was no account user description, no followers and the account was following no one. This was the first and only tweet.

This was odd and she could make no sense of it. It couldn't be spam if there was only one tweet. She had been targeted and she didn't understand why. She would ask Joe if he had a way of tracking what IP address had sent it.

* * *

><p>A cluster of people stood around the desk in Robert's office. When Anna had messaged him to tell him that they had some photographic evidence, John was ecstatic. He was even more so when he ran into his solicitor at the pub. Matthew and Mary had some sort of outing planned and he had shown up at the property expecting to go out on a date, not realizing that John and Anna and Mary's father would be there too and that his expertise would be needed.<p>

Once he was made aware of what was about to happen, he agreed to step in a few minutes and give his professional opinion. Mary, although Anna could tell she was a bit exasperated in having been made to wait, gave Anna her approval through a forced, but large smile. Anna knew her friend well and Mary would do anything for her. Before Mary could change her mind, she dragged Matthew upstairs. Mary didn't mind too terribly. This case meant so much to Anna and allowing her to borrow Matthew for only a few minutes could determine the future of the investigation. Plus, she didn't want Matthew to think she was a pampered freak. She was self-centered, but he didn't have to find out yet. Not if they were to lapse into anything meaningful. It also meant that she could have a few minutes to smooth out the situation with her father who clearly did not understand what Matthew Crawley was doing in his pub, picking up his daughter. She had omitted the name of her date when she told her father she needed to leave earlier that day and he did not understand why she was going out with somebody who was a relation, no matter how distant. Even with the pub busy on a Saturday night, he appeared upset.

Back up at the office. Pops had prepared them for what they were about to see, explaining that the images were graphic and proved without a doubt, Mrs. Bates' infidelity. Anna looked at her client to determine his reaction as the first picture was brought onto the screen. Her curiosity was that of somebody who loved him, not of an investigator. They had no moments alone this evening and neither demonstrated any behaviors that could lead anybody to believe that they might be involved with each other. Only Robert and Mary knew, but nothing was said. Regardless of their unresolved sentiments and that his response today, regarding his wife, could be awkward and painful, Anna worried about him and showed no reaction to his recent outbreak.

The first picture, pretty innocent in comparison to the ones that would follow, showed Vera taking off her clothes. John showed no emotions. As the degree of explicitness increased, Anna came to believe he would become angry, expressive even, but he said nothing. He was stoic, in general, but the degree of non-emotion worried Anna. Most cuckolded spouses cried and yelled. His face was passive; the only action she could discern was the occasional lifting of an eyebrow. She hoped he wasn't the type of person to do something foolish privately. She'd seen that with other clients too.

After several pictures were shown, Pops intervened. So far, Vera and her gentleman were completely naked. There was touching and heavy fondling. None of the pictures showed her engaging in sex yet. "The pictures are only more graphic as they continue. Perhaps Mr. Bates would like some time to privately peruse them?" He coughed, intending for Elsie and Anna to leave, thinking he might spare them all the embarrassment of viewing the pictures together. "You might be more comfortable with only me for guidance."

John was casual with his response, demonstrating how little he was affected by what he was seeing. "You must have already reviewed these. You don't have to leave on my account unless you want to." He was looking at all three of his investigators, but Anna could swear he was speaking directly to her. "I am not embarrassed. Vera should be the one embarrassed. I've never disrespected her." With this comment Pops continued flashing pictures on the computer screen. The first one they saw with actual coitus prompted John to speak.

"Please tell me this is enough to demand the divorce. Please tell me I have a case." He was addressing Matthew directly, even when there were dozens of more pictures to look at.

"They are admissible," he conceded, "You'll have to prove it is not you," but turned to question Elsie and Pops directly, "and, you'll have to prove that no laws were broken obtaining them."

"That is not me. I've several scars from my hip to my knee from several surgeries. That man's legs don't have any." Mr. Bates interjected, again with no discernible emotion.

Anna was surprised to hear that. She remembered how he limped during the castle battle when he lifted up Haley, the fierce and brave warrior. He said he had an old knee injury flaring up. How she longed to know how it happened. She wondered why it wasn't listed in the dossier that Joe had put together for Mr. Bates. Might it be a classified war injury?

"That takes care of that," volunteered Matthew. "What about the location?"

"Where was it?" John asked. He was staring into space.

Elsie explained the location of the lot and how they had placed the camera and removed it.

"As long as her lover doesn't turn out to be the owner, then you should be fine. If he is the owner, then engaging in sex, in a car he owns, on a lot he owns, would make these images illegal. If neither Vera, nor her lover owns the lot, then, engaging in sex, the way they did, would constitute illegal entry as well and the judge won't dismiss you."

"We verified ownership. SG Petch belongs to a family. None of the owners live in York. They are currently in London. We know a little of the law," added Pops. They'd been down this road before several times and knew how important it was to get it right. "The lover would have to prove that he did have permission to be there and that means that Vera would have to identify him to get that confirmation. If they are going out of their way to deceive and are meeting at this location, it is highly unlikely that the lover wants to be found out and would come forward to aid Vera in denouncing this divorce petition."

"You're right, actually," acquiesced Matthew, but he was drowned out by John's voice.

"Who is he?" This seemed to excite him more than seeing Vera's pictures. His voice was raised and demanding. He needed to know which of his employees had betrayed him. This thought hurt him more than the deception from his own wife.

Anna intervened this time.

"None of the images show him. Neither do the ones when he arrives. I've narrowed it down to four men and I am still investigating. It shouldn't be long now."

* * *

><p>"Make sure you enunciate. Stand close enough that the microphone picks up her voice too, but not within arm's distance. The last thing you want is for Vera to strike you or pummel you with her fists. That could dislodge the wire or damage the transmission."<p>

Charles still did not know what to think of John Bates. As he fitted the clandestine wire underneath the man's shirt, he continued to wonder if his motivations were right. It wasn't his job to be the moral police and the evidence he secured against Vera did dictate that John Bates, was indeed, a wronged man. Still, he had been an investigator for over twenty years and the one or two cases he had managed where his client had retaliated against the unlawful spouse had scarred him. He didn't want people to get hurt because of his work. It had taken him a while to be able to sleep at night again after that and he needed to maintain a clean conscience.

He taped the wire to the man's hairy chest. This pilot turned entrepreneur was calm and serene. Seeing him sit through the dozens of images of his wife's infidelity without an emotional outburst should give him confidence that he was a good man, yet, he wasn't sure. Anna was the one who was so sure about him. She said his employees revered him. The pesky issue of the sexual harassment case though, would always make him doubt. He stared at the man's face, trying to catch a glimpse of his soul, all the while wishing his little girl didn't have to work with him.

"Everything I say to her and whatever she responds back to me, you're sure you can get on tape?"

John Bates started buttoning up his shirt, hiding the wire that he hoped would be his salvation. Matthew Crawley was a good solicitor and had already drawn up the papers to file the divorce petition. He only needed half of Monday's morning to get it all ready. When the much anticipated news was received, that everything was in order and the petition complete, only needing to be delivered to his spouse, he flew out of the office. Poor Gwen must have been mortified when he asked her to cancel all his appointments without any reason. He didn't turn back to see her reaction or find out if there were any objections, being too eager to get into his car and get the process started. This was the moment he had been waiting for so long, an almost unreachable goal he had dreamed of for years. It was finally within his reach. Matthew had also prepared a petition of partnership dissolution for Bates Airlift, citing the terms of the agreement had been broken. John wasn't sure which one of the petitions made him happier. Both, in equal measure, liberated him from the depths of hell.

Matthew had explained the whole process and recommended how to present the petitions. He ought to get wired, and have all of the conversations recorded. It would help his court case if Vera became aggressive and violent. It would also help if she confessed her guilt. Besides the graphic evidence, her own confirmation of guilt could speed things through the court. It was also a protection for him. Knowing how manipulative she could be, Matthew had suggested she might fake violence from him, as that would get the court to favor her in the terms, even when he was the wronged party. One could never be too sure, and he had agreed. One call to Charles Carson was all it took to get it sorted. He would have preferred Anna, or not, he wasn't sure, but he left her behind, in the office, starting a new week's work with Phyllis. He would have no plausible excuse to pull her away, so, her Godfather was the next best option. Now, they were together, his wife Elsie not too far away, and he was being prepped for this momentous task. He hoped he didn't botch it.

"Yes," responded Charles. "Elsie and I will be in our van, outside your home, capturing all the audio. If there is any violence, from either of you, I'll be calling the police." His face hardened and his jaw clenched. He didn't sound too friendly at all.

"Violence? Not from me, I can assure you." Was Charles Carson scowling at him? Yes, he was. Why would he even think that he would be violent? He wouldn't touch a hair on Vera's body, both by conviction, as he had never touched her, not any of the million times that he had every reason to, and by precaution. He wasn't about to lose everything now, not when he was so close. A thought that terrified him took hold. Had Anna told him about their kisses? Perhaps he was being a protective father.

"You don't need to assure me of anything. This is my standard protocol." There was an air of superiority in him, one that he couldn't put away.

"What he means," added a well-intentioned Elsie who had been observing from the far end of the office, "…is that we are there for protection of whoever might need it. These situations can escalate quickly and it is always good to be prepared." Elsie turned to look at Charles first, giving him a strong look that immediately lessened his bravado, and then to Mr. Bates to give him a reassuring look. "The moment you leave, we'll leave too. You and your solicitor will have the recording before dawn."

"Thank you. Thank you very much." John Bates breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally going to happen.

* * *

><p>His luggage, full of clothes and books, was packed and in his car. Everything of value and real importance, he stored in a bolted safe in his office's cupboard. He could care less about the things in the house. The paintings, decorations and furniture meant nothing to him – all things chosen by Vera. The house was more hers than his, realistically. She had decorated it and filled it with things from the moment he purchased it. She could keep it and all of the contents and made sure that it was stated so in the divorce decree. He would rather start anew somewhere else. He didn't care where he ended up tonight. Any hotel or inn would do for the time being, or even his car if it came to that, until he could source a steadier accommodation. He should have plenty of funds to purchase a bachelor's flat; he didn't need anything larger. He would start looking as soon as possible, but would wait until the divorce and dissolution were final to purchase anything.<p>

He sat, in his living room sofa, waiting for Vera to make her appearance. He had left her at the office when he ran out. He looked at his watch. She should be home soon, as the work day had finished - unless of course, she found a dalliance to distract her and deter her from returning. He chuckled. Vera had dug her own grave and he couldn't be happier. He was aware that the Carson's were out there and that gave him comfort too. Even with Charles' hostility, he felt that he had a friend within arm's reach if he needed it.

Soon enough, the sounds of her car coming into their drive alerted him of her presence. He looked at the files he had organized on the little table closest to him - a few of the printed pictures and both petitions. Breathe in, he told himself. Breathe out, soon followed. He was calm. The moment he had been waiting for was upon him. He was ready.

She opened the door and caught the sight of him, apparently waiting for her.

"Shouldn't you be in your room?" She looked at her watch. "You're late for your daily brooding."

John dismissed her. "Yes, good afternoon to you too, Vera." He stayed in his place. Usually, he would have left by now, not wanting to be in her presence and thus, Vera's jab was not off the mark. He always remained in his room when they were at home, and in all honesty, mostly brooding. He would only come out to prepare himself a light supper and would never venture out for anything else. He would read or watch the telly to entertain himself or leave the house altogether, taking Maggie for a spin. That was his life.

Vera realized that his not leaving meant that he wanted to talk. "So, what is it?" She had set her things down on an empty chair and proceeded to fold her arms in expectation. She was very sure of herself and tapped her foot, impatient to get the conversation finished.

John stood. He reached for the prints and took them into his hands. "I was hoping you could explain these?" He turned the prints to reveal the shocking images. "That is not you and I together."

Vera's first reaction was shock. It was written all over her face. She didn't expect this type of ambush. Not from John. She didn't consider him sly enough. She kept quiet as the shock morphed into anger. Her face reddened and he could see she was seething. She snatched the images from his hand and raised her voice with clear contempt.

"Where did you get this rubbish?" She inspected the images, surveying each one.

"I had you followed. You were not as clever in your deception as you thought." Every word he spoke, he felt confidence flooding him and giving him strength to endure this encounter. "Leaving your car in the Park and Ride, taking a bus, then a cab – it wasn't sufficient Vera. You didn't do enough to cover your tracks. You've taunted me for years regarding your affairs and you thought I wasn't smart enough to find out….but there it is… you gave me what I needed and I have proof now."

Vera felt rage increasing with every word he spoke. She contained her desire to strike him and instead, tore at the images continuously. They bore the brunt of her fury and when she could rip them no more, she hurled them against his body. "You idiot," was her immediate response to his words. The pieces bounced off him and fell to the floor.

"You can tear them apart all you want Vera. There are plenty of others….. In fact, the entire interlude was captured." He could tell his confidence irked her - that - and the knowledge that she had been caught. Maybe it wasn't the right moment to ask, but he needed to know. Now that it was all out in the open, perhaps she would be candid. "Who is he?" There was no jealousy tainting the question. The tone of his voice was on par with asking her if she wanted tea.

Vera gazed at him with a sparkle in her eye. Knowing that she had at least part of her tryst still unknown to him pleased her.

"If you aren't already aware, I won't tell you his name. All I will say is that he is a better lover than you ever were. You were worthless, you know that? Worthless." Vera was yelling now.

"Well, if I was worthless to you, then you should have let me go years ago." He smiled and kept cool. "You could have had so many other men." In the battle of temperament and control, he was winning.

"I bet you would have liked that, wouldn't you? ... Well, let me tell you something John Bates. I have had as many men as I've wanted. This pitiful marriage has not barred me from enjoying myself." John couldn't believe his ears. She was admitting to other infidelities and it was being recorded. He suppressed his joy at her confession. This was bound to be helpful. "I've not left it because killing my brother sealed your fate and it makes me happy to see you miserable."

She struck a chord. He knew she would mention it, but it still hurt to be reminded of his past mistakes.

"You know what happened, Vera. I've apologized for my part in it for as long as I can remember." There was emotion in his voice. "It was not my fault and I won't have you continue to torture me for it."

She cackled loudly. "Do you really think this changes anything for you, John?"

"Yes, it does." He regained the confident tone once more. "Your infidelity allows me to divorce you. I will be free of you." He took the first set of papers from the table. "This is the divorce petition that my lawyer, Matthew Crawley, has already registered in the court. You should be getting a notice from them shortly, but this is the copy of what we registered in case you are interested." He handed them over. "You can make it simple and agree and we can have the decree absolute in a couple of months. If you want to contest it, that's fine. We can go to court, but the evidence against you is overwhelming." Vera took the neat pile and flung it across the room, scattering the sheets as they flew. Random pages were everywhere.

"You fool. Nothing changes for you. You may get your divorce, but, you will never be rid of me."

"I beg to differ." He took the last set of documents on the table. "This is your copy of the notice of partnership dissolution that was also registered in the court. I believe the terms are fare and more than adequately compensate you for the time and funds you have invested in Bates Airlift. You can have your lawyer go through them and contact Matthew Crawley if you, or he, have any questions."

Instead of handing them to her, he let them fall on the nearest chair. They were better there than across the room as they would inevitably end up if they were in her possession.

She laughed again. Where she got so much evil stamina, he didn't know.

"Batesy, I've told you before. I am not giving up my interest in Bates Airlift and you better be prepared in court, because I will take you for everything you've got. You're no saint and if I were you, I would be scared."

"Always with your false accusations Vera…. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I've never been unfaithful. The court will see that justice is served." He picked up a backpack that housed the few baubles, nick-knacks and toiletries he had yet to carry out and started heading towards the door.

"The house is yours Vera. I've moved out. You'll not see me here again." He laughed. He could be cynical too if that was the way she wanted to play. "You could bring your lover here so you don't have to meet in a van, in the SG Petch car lot…..Honestly Vera, I thought you had more class."

His words incensed her. Before he could react, she picked up a small sculpture on the wall ledge next to her and cast it at him. It hit him right beneath the eye, on the ridge of his cheek bone. He could feel skin break, pierced by the heavy object. A dull pain ensued. The weapon fell to the floor intact. He never imagined she could become violent and didn't think his comment would elicit this response. They had traded worse insults in the past. He raised his hand to his face and felt blood seeping through the injury. His fingers were now sticky with it. The microphone wouldn't pick that up and couldn't know that she had assaulted him. He had to make a statement to make sure it was recorded.

"Violence will get you nowhere Vera. That object you just threw at me, that which has caused me injury and has now left me bleeding, gives me the right to request a non-molestation order against you. You are not allowed to come near me and that…my dear soon to be ex-wife….includes Bates Airlift. The partnership dissolution is being processed. You can send whomever you want to collect your things, but you are not to put a foot on the compound or come near me. If you talk to your lawyer, he'd advise you to stay away."

With that, he closed the door and walked towards his car. Behind him, he could hear her yell insults and expletives and it was accompanied by the noise of things crashing to the ground. This was it. He was finally free.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I appreciate every one. **** The next chapter is virtually all written and going through second stage editing, so, it will be posted much sooner than the average time between my chapters.**

**Who is sending Anna strange tweets? Will she finally find the lover among the remaining four men? How will the staff react to the divorce and dissolution of partnership? Will John and Anna finally find a way towards each other? Stay tuned to find the answers to these and other questions….**


	12. Low Ceilings

**This is a big chapter, the one I suspect you've been waiting for. The story is now rated M. Words - 13K**

* * *

><p>"Gwen, I want the entire team, together, in the meeting room in ten minutes." His tone was demanding. It sounded as if he were not in the best of moods. She looked up, intent in affirming she would carry out his request and then she saw it. He had a cut on his high left cheekbone and it had turned the area around it purple.<p>

The surprise on her face could not be concealed. As such, Mr. Bates lifted his palm up to stop any questions she might have. After his announcement, everybody would think whatever they wanted. "I'm fine. Just tell me when they are all there."

He headed into his office for a moment. He had purposefully arrived a half hour later than usual. It had been enough time for him to telephone Matthew and find out what had become of his injunction request. When he telephoned the night before, after he received the blow, Matthew seemed certain that he had enough grounds to get it processed. Matthew explained the terms by which it was being authorized. It was important for John to understand before he spoke of it in the office.

He also arrived early because if anybody saw him beforehand, there would be too many questions and he wanted his entire staff to be available by the time he did arrive and to tell them when they were all together. Perhaps, some of them already knew. Vera was not one to keep quiet. Judging by Gwen's reaction, though, if they did know, they had not yet shared the juicy gossip with the others. This would be a good test. It might get him what he desperately wanted to know. The body language in the meeting might help him determine who the lover was, if he even worked in this office. He often had doubts. He had nothing to go on, but a hunch. Vera was crafty and he knew her too well. She was less likely to do this with somebody random. She would always want to hurt him and so she would choose somebody important to him - one of his employees from the office. If it had been somebody random, yesterday, when asked, she would have flaunted it. Anna said it was down to four men. He ran his hand through his hair as these thoughts consumed him. He wanted it to be over.

"Everybody accounted for except Mrs. Bates. Do you want to wait for her?" Gwen popped her head into the doorway.

"No. We won't." He stood and joined her on the walk back to the conference room.

Gwen looked concerned. "I'm sorry there is no tea. If I would have known…"

He cut her off. "Don't worry. This is impromptu and I cannot see the meeting lasting for more than a few minutes. We won't have time for tea." Sensing that he had been nothing but curt from the moment he arrived, he stopped her before they reached the room. "Thank you Gwen, truly, for all you do."

Her face was a mixture of pride and confusion. He was never short on praise for the work that she did and she loved it when he recognized her efforts, but, she wasn't sure what was going on. There was sorrow in his eyes. Not wanting to embarrass him, but continuing to be supportive, she nodded slightly and smiled tentatively. She followed him in without saying another word.

There was a collective sigh among the present team members when they saw his injured face. Daisy, not having been blessed with a filter in her brain and not realizing that it was not prudent to ask, reacted loudly.

"Mr. Bates, What happened? Have you been in an accident?"

"Something like that." He tried to not give it importance and changed the subject at once. "Listen team…..I've called you all together because I must inform you of some important news."

He surveyed the room. Richard, all of Accounting, Anna, Gwen, Sarah, Tom, William, Daisy, Michael, Evelyn and Alfred were there. In all, only three of his staff members were missing; Jack, Jimmy and Tony. This was a good crowd. He'd only have to give the news once.

Anna was aware, he could tell. Of course she would know about everything that transpired. Her Godparents would likely have shared everything that they had overheard and the pictures they helped take of his wound. He'd driven directly to their van, gesturing them to follow him until they were at least a few blocks away. After taking pictures for evidence, they were true to their word and the recording had been made available overnight. He could see it in her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes looked upon him with concern and what he dreaded the most - pity. The last thing he wanted from her was for her to feel sorry for him. He was free now, he could love her, but instead, he had her pity. He looked away and started the conversation.

"Mrs. Bates and I are getting a divorce." Another collective noise of surprise was heard, followed by complete silence. You could hear everybody's breathing. He took advantage of the silence to deliver the last bit of news. "In addition, her partnership in Bates Airlift is being dissolved."

Sarah O'Brien, the person with perhaps the most to lose, was most shocked of all. After a moment to collect her thoughts, she was the first to speak. "What does that mean?" she asked, in a tone that anybody would consider confrontational.

John surveyed the room again to see the faces of his employees. There was mostly surprise from all of them, but Sarah's locked jaw and narrowed eyes made her appear upset. She would be, more than the others. Vera was her friend.

He didn't want to tell them the details. It was his private life and he didn't want the particulars of it to be shared as gossip, yet, he had to say something and be more specific. The injunction against her had to be known. She couldn't be allowed to just walk in there. She could fool any of them easily.

"What that means is - that as part of the terms of the divorce, partnership is no longer an option. I am buying her out, fairly, and that process will be seen to by the courts." He paused to get a full breath. "What that also means, is that I will retain full ownership of the company and its entire assets when this process is finished."

John thought he saw some happy faces in the crowd. Gwen, Tom, Anna and Phyllis to be exact. Sarah was fuming and trying to contain her ire. He wasn't too sure about some of the men - Richard, Anthony and Thomas. Having collaborated with her and being her most direct colleagues, they all looked shocked. The others just appeared confused and worried. None of their reactions stood out above the others and he couldn't figure out who the lover might be.

"Will you be keeping us on?" inquired Alfred, his voice meek with worry.

"Of course, nothing changes. Everybody who wants to work for me, I am happy to keep. Some of you may be uncomfortable after these changes and I would understand if you wanted to seek employment elsewhere. I won't be offended." John was assertive in his declaration and added a last statement. "I won't be looking to let go of anybody, as long as the company continues to do well."

That changed the majority of the confused and worried faces and they were calm.

"One last statement. As of today, I hold a court injunction that is commonly referred to as a non-molestation order. It is against Vera. She is not allowed to come near me or these premises."

"Isn't that for women with abusive husbands?" Sarah asked in a way which everybody understood was meant to shame or belittle him.

"It is for people whose spouse, partner or even business associate has turned violent – not just for women." The penny dropped for just about everyone when they realized that his wound was not an accident. Vera likely had done that to him. Their gazes changed immediately - some to concern, others to surprise.

"I don't want any of you caught in between all of this. It is my regret that I cannot spare you some of the drama that may evolve from the litigation and court processes. "He was looking at Sarah directly when he made the following statement. "I cannot and will not tell you what to do when you are outside of this office. She has many friends here and I respect that. Your employment here does not condition you to take my side and never speak to her again. There are no sides. She may call upon some of you to help her retrieve her things and that is fine….but…helping her to come here will only hurt her. It is a criminal offense for her to break this order, so be careful with what you do."

Sarah looked fit to burst. Thomas kicked her underneath the table, trying to get her to calm down. He didn't agree with what was going on, but, this was not the moment to make it known.

"As I said, there are no sides, but, If you do take sides, that is your prerogative. I run a business and I expect everyone to maintain decorum at all times. Regardless of what you think, you will all leave personal opinion on this matter at the door. Now, if anybody has any other questions, I would be more than willing to answer them in my office." He pushed out of his chair and stood up. "Meeting adjourned."

* * *

><p>"That idiot!" managed to exclaim Sarah inside the offices before Thomas pulled her outside to vent. Tom and William, on their way back to the hangar, couldn't help but overhear. She was fuming. Thomas moved her as far as he could, away from the mechanics and even farther than their usual location where the golf cart was parked. They stood at the edge of the tarmac, where nobody could hear them. He let Sarah rant.<p>

"The bloody fool! Who does he think he is?"

"Well, he's not much of a fool – the divorce, dismantling the partnership and a non-molestation order –that takes gumption." Thomas pulled out a pack of cigarettes, the weight of the morning demanding he smoke to keep his nerves settled. Vera hadn't warned them.

Sarah took a cigarette as well, and looked around to make sure they were far enough away from the fuel tanks. Thomas had just dragged her out, not taking the usual precautions. Fuel vapors and residue were not uncommon at the compound. No matter how upset she was with the egregious Mr. Bates, she did not want to become a statistic because of their negligence. She moved him farther into the field.

"You're not saying he was right to do that, are you?" Sarah looked at Thomas with disbelief written all over her face.

Thomas was quick to defend himself. "No, I just said he is not the fool we thought he might be." He lit his smoke.

"What will Vera do now?" Sarah took a long puff and let out the smoke out slowly, drawing little circles.

"I suspect that Mr. Bates thinks he won. Vera may be licking her wounds now, she didn't expect the situation to blow up the way it did, but, she has more tricks up her sleeve than he suspects." Thomas spoke with a certain confidence that confused Sarah.

"What do you mean? Can she fight the divorce?" Her words were quick to question Thomas.

"Fight?" His left brow went up and he scrunched his lips. "…..I don't know. We don't know by what terms he achieved it. All I know is that she's not one to take things lightly. Mr. Bates will eventually feel the brunt of her fury."

"You sure seem to know a lot." The look in her eyes was almost accusatory.

"I know only what I've heard Vera say. You've heard her too." Thomas defended himself from the wordless implied accusation.

Sarah wasn't sure Thomas was being truthful. He spent much more time in Vera's office than she did. He must be aware of the tricks Vera had up her sleeve, else, he wouldn't be talking with so much assurance in his voice. She decided to let it go. If things were to happen, she would find out soon enough.

"Did you see the smug faces on Gwen and Anna?" Sarah changed the topic. "They looked too happy to see Vera gone. If Vera comes back, they'll be the first to go."

"…..and you'll be the first to go now if you don't calm down in there. Mr. Bates knows we are friends of Vera's. The best you can do is to keep your head down and do your work. Vera will be back, but while that happens, you would best remember that she isn't in charge right now and he is."

"He'll never be in charge of me, I tell you. The damn fool thinks he can tell me what to do…."

Thomas interrupted her. "Yes, he can tell you want to do. He is the owner as well, until Vera fights back. This is not our battle. It is Vera's. We can be loyal to her and pay attention to what is happening and let her know, but, you should not do anything to get yourself sacked."

"This isn't fair I tell you." Sarah answered in protestation.

"No, it's not….but, it's smart."

* * *

><p>Mr. Bates had left the conference room and his employees were in shock, needing a couple more minutes to process the morning's announcements. They exchanged glances at each other, speechless. Sarah and Thomas were the first to stand up, and then the rest of the team slowly filed out. For the first few minutes, they all made it back to their desks, wanting to assess Mr. Bates' general mood before congregating to discuss what had just happened. When they saw Mr. Bates close the door to his office, Daisy, Phyllis, Gwen and Anna flocked to the kitchen.<p>

"I never imagined something like this could happen. I still can't believe it." Gwen finished filling a kettle with water so that they could make tea. They all needed a little perk up after the events of the morning.

"What? That he would finally see through her?" Phyllis spoke out and it was quite a shock for all of them to hear her say such a thing. She was always the first to retreat at the first sign of gossip or drama.

The three girls looked at each other, wondering how to respond to that.

"She was always quite loopy, wasn't she?" Daisy offered sheepishly, afraid to state her opinion, but following Phyllis' lead.

"I've only been here a couple of months. You all know her better than I did." Anna didn't feel like she had a right to say anything, even though with what she knew, she could have said much worse.

"I feel horrible because I've always hoped that they would get a divorce, but I always said it out of spite, because she was so difficult to work with. I never thought it would actually happen and I feel bad for him." Gwen was more specific with her comments this time.

"Somehow, I don't think he's suffering, Gwen." Phyllis commented again. "You shouldn't feel bad. We all saw how she treated him. This is a good thing." After a few seconds, she added, "For all of us."

"What'll she do now?" asked a naïve Daisy. Her sweet demeanor demonstrated compassion and real concern.

"I wouldn't worry, Daisy. If Mr. Bates buys her out, I am pretty sure she will have plenty of funds. She won't even have to work." Anna reassured them all. She had seen the financials of the company. Joe had put the dossier together when she came to work here. She also saw the money in Vera's account. She had nothing to worry about.

"I know it is a good thing," Gwen spoke up again. "It can't possibly increase my workload, it's not like I'm not already doing most of her tasks." A smile slowly crept upwards on her face. "No more stealing the credit for my work."

"No more getting her coffee and tea," added Anna and a smile crept up on her face.

"No more flirting with the boys and getting them all riled up, leaving me to deal with them," spoke Daisy, having lost the naivety and speaking with more conviction. Her smile crept upwards, joining her coworkers.

Realizing they were part of a very small club, Phyllis finally added her own comment as her own smile crept upwards on her face. "No more yelling from her office for Sarah, Anthony or Thomas."

All four burst out laughing, their own little celebration reaching a crescendo. It was a joyous occasion for all of them. They calmed when they heard the whistle of the kettle announcing the water was ready to be consumed. Gwen poured the liquid into the four waiting mugs.

"He'll need our help," stated Phyllis as she took her mug. When it was in her hands, she closed her eyes, as if she remembered something. "I'm going back to work. That's how I can help him." Jovial Phyllis shut back down and retreated from the kitchen, back to her own little world. The spark they had just seen was gone from her and she became vague and opaque all at once.

The three girls exchanged knowing glances again. Phyllis was truly odd. Anna couldn't understand what had just happened.

As a result of Phyllis' departure, Daisy left as well. "I need to prepare for a run in half an hour. I'll see you all later." She took her mug with her, leaving Anna and Gwen alone.

"It's true," shared Gwen when the other girls had left. "He will need our help. I don't trust tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum."

"Yeah. I don't get a good feeling about them either. Sarah was livid." Anna agreed wholeheartedly. This place would undoubtedly not be the same after today.

Gwen took her mug and turned to leave. "Are you coming?" Anna looked firmly planted in her place, not intending to move yet.

"Yes, in a minute. Go on without me. I'll catch up." She needed an extra minute to herself before going back to work.

Gwen understood and left her. Anna stood by the counter, with the steaming mug ensconced within her hands. Of course, her thoughts turned to him. Elsie had called last night to brief her on the situation and had even texted the stills of his wounds to her. As expected, the wound had bruised overnight. She wished she could be with him and tell him things would be alright, maybe celebrate his small achievement. It was a dream, she knew. She was startled out of her thoughts by somebody coming into the kitchen. Returning from her daydream, she realized it was him. Mr. Bates was in the kitchen with her.

She was standing in front of the kettle, blocking its access and he walked right up to her.

"Do you mind?" He pointed at the kettle. "I need a drink."

"We just made a pot. There's some left. Do you want some?" She picked up the kettle, offering to pour. He nodded in agreement and she reached for a fresh mug. At least he hadn't stormed out like the other day, rejecting her tea and preparing a shoddy cup of coffee.

Standing so close, she could see his cheekbone and the wound looked larger than it really was. The purple hue was distorting the size. She handed him the mug, but what she really wanted to do was touch him and provide comfort; kiss it better, even. She breathed in. Now was not the moment.

"Does it hurt?" she asked. "It swelled a bit overnight." There was no sense in denying that she didn't know about it.

"It did swell, as was expected." He paused, not really looking at her, but taking a sip from his hot drink. "It looks worse than it is. It doesn't hurt." He looked uncomfortable talking to her.

Anna didn't want him to say or do anything rude, and as an act of self-preservation, she excused herself to continue with her day. Phyllis still had much to teach her.

"I'll get on now. Phyllis has a lot to show me this week. Congratulations on what you've accomplished." She walked away, leaving a piece of herself in that kitchen with him.

* * *

><p>Since the announcement, the quality of Sarah's work had diminished. Thomas had warned her that this was not the moment to make any mistakes and that no matter how upset she and he might be about what was transpiring between the Bateses, she ought not to make it her personal battle. Vera would eventually win, of that he was sure, but in the meantime, without her protection, they had to exercise caution with what they said and did in the office.<p>

Thomas was right, Sarah had nothing to argue against his logic and reason, however, employing that logic and reason herself was challenging. She couldn't see Mr. Bates walk through the office and not feel the blood inside her start to boil. Years of listening to Vera's tales meant the poor man would always be an imbecile in her book. Vera was the rightful boss and owner and she would not be happy until justice was served.

As had been expected, Vera had called upon her friend to retrieve her files and mementos. Sarah made it a point to make sure everyone discovered what she was doing and she made it a further point to announce to all her dissatisfaction. Nobody but Thomas ever paid any attention to her and that bothered her even further. Gwen, Anna and Phyllis, closest geographically to her, often heard her tirades and tried to pick up the slack, realizing that she was a threat to the operation. Most of the pilots shied away from her and kept to the pilot rest room when they weren't on an actual flight. They were lucky to have that option.

It was on Thursday, when Phyllis was showing Anna how she managed the spare parts inventory, that Sarah's line began ringing. Since it was the company's published customer service number, it was configured to ring on everybody's phone as a second line. If she were already on the phone, or temporarily away, everybody had the responsibility to answer that line and do their best to provide what was requested, or with more complicated requests, take a message so that Sarah could ring back. Phyllis and especially Gwen, were the ones who took their fair share of Sarah's calls. Anthony and Richard, as higher level employees, were not obligated and Thomas always felt he had more important work to do, and thus, it would ring until either Phyllis or Gwen relented. In this occasion, Gwen was busy escorting a customer who had just arrived for transport.

Phyllis answered the phone. "Bates Airlift, this is Phyllis Baxter, how may I assist you?" She paused to listen. "Mr. Wiggleton, I am pleased –"

Phyllis was cut off mid-sentence and Anna just observed. Phyllis' eyes turned from genuine sweet pleasure to panic. She accessed Sarah's control spreadsheets from the shared drive where they were kept and looked for Mr. Wiggleton's booking. Anna couldn't hear the conversation, but saw that Mr. Wiggleton had a booking for right now. It was assigned to Daisy. Anna remembered him from several weeks ago. He was the older gentleman who liked to fly with Daisy. In general, he liked the company of younger women. He was also the one that Sarah had booked wrong and tried to pass it off as her mistake. She would never forget.

"I am so sorry. I will find out right away what the problem is. Can I ask you to hold?" He must have given her an earful because her eyes opened wide. "Yes, I promise I will be right back."

Phyllis put the call on hold and stood up.

"What is it?" asked an anxious Anna. Phyllis was already moving away from Accounting and towards Sarah's desk.

"Mr. Wiggleton is waiting for his transport; we are already fifteen minutes late. I just confirmed that he does have a booking. I need to find out what the problem is." Anna followed after Phyllis. It was the excitement of the situation that made her get up and follow, as she wasn't really relevant to the problem or solution.

Sarah wasn't at her desk. Phyllis went on to look for her towards the pilot rest room and encountered Gwen, on her way back from handing off a customer to Alfred. They could hear the rotor blades of a helicopter starting.

"Have you seen Daisy, or Sarah?" asked the meek woman.

"Sarah is outside, on the phone, but Daisy called in sick this morning. She's running a fever."

"Did you tell Sarah? Mr. Wiggleton is waiting for her to pick him up in his office. Nobody's come yet." The tone in her voice was full of angst and concern.

Gwen momentarily panicked and her face reflected apprehension, until she remembered that she had passed on the information. "I did. I told her. I also emailed her."

"Is there another pilot available?" Anna asked, trying to find a solution to the problem.

"None," spoke Gwen. "Alfred just took Mr. Howell. There were no others in the crew room."

"I've got to tell Mr. Wiggleton something." Phyllis' anxiety level was increasing, as she would be the one to have to face the customer.

"What about Mr. Bates? He's here. He could be the one to do this trip." With Mr. Bates always on her mind, it was natural for her to bring him up.

"I wouldn't dare ask him", cowered Phyllis.

Anna didn't understand why she would be so afraid of him. He would want to help, this being his company. "I will," and before Gwen or Phyllis could say anything else, Anna was on her way toward the front, where his office was located.

Phyllis followed her, while Gwen went out to look for Sarah.

"I'll find Sarah and get Tom to prepare one of the girls." If they were to bring Mr. Bates into the problem, he would want to know what happened and they should also not waste any more time in getting a chopper ready.

"Mr. Bates?" Anna came bundling in, to which he raised his head in surprise.

"Yes?" His eyes opened wide in shock, seeing her in his office. She had mainly stayed away these days.

"Mr. Wiggleton booked a York- Manchester service with Daisy, but she called in sick this morning. We don't know why he wasn't protected when she called, but we have no one to take him. He's already been made to wait 15 minutes and has just called in upset. We're thinking you're the only one who can do it."

John realized the gravity of the situation and moved away from his desk immediately.

"I'll take him. He's a top client and if I remember correctly, we botched him up before." He walked down the corridor, towards the opposite end, the exit, when he ran into Sarah, who was returning from another break.

"What happened to Mr. Wiggleton?" he asked briskly. "Why wasn't he protected when Daisy called in sick?"

"I'm not expected to save this company every time something goes wrong. It's not my fault that Daisy isn't here. I can't be expected to pull miracles in minutes."

"Daisy called in sick, hours ago," exclaimed Phyllis, who was right behind them. She did not want to get into the middle of the situation, but it was best if Mr. Bates was informed of the full extent of the problem.

"Well, I wasn't informed about it." Sarah brushed off Phyllis' comment without acknowledging the fault she might have in this crisis.

"Gwen emailed you the moment she called in sick." Phyllis didn't often get upset, or involve herself in disputes, but her tone demonstrated she was not buying Sarah's excuses. She'd handled more than her share of Sarah's work recently and was tired of her non-justifiable behavior.

Mr. Bates wasn't buying her reasons either. "I don't have time to listen to your arguments Sarah, but, I do pay you, as you say, "to save the company every time something goes wrong," so, you should have had foresight that this might happen."

Gwen opened the doors, flushed and red from rushing about. "Tom has Marilyn prepped. He wasn't aware Daisy wasn't coming in and had her ready anyway. You're cleared to go."

"When I get back, you and I will have a talk." He addressed Sarah coldly, and then turned to leave. Sarah huffed and move to her desk, leaving the others to resolve the scheduling dilemma.

"I'll go tell him you'll be there in a few minutes," exclaimed Phyllis as she ran back to service the call.

Gwen interjected again. "You'll need to take a woman with you. It sounds sexist, but, he's only soothed by females."

Mr. Bates looked appalled and ready to protest.

Before he could, Gwen added, "It will be easier to appease him that way. We can't afford to lose this account."

Mr. Bates had to agree that she made sense and he relented. "Fine, so who is coming with me?"

"You go," volunteered Anna. "I'll cover for you." She was directing her comments at Gwen.

Gwen nodded her head vehemently. "I can't. There is an inbound from oil rig #52 in about an hour. It's a full load of passengers. I'll need to be here to sort them out."

"What about Phyllis?" volunteered Anna. She wanted desperately to go with him, but she didn't think he would go for it and it was not appropriate for her to be the one to suggest it. Not with the way things were between them.

"That won't do. She's terrified of helicopters." Mr. Bates barely turned his head as he acknowledged what they all had already had figured out. "It's got to be you Anna and we're late as it is." He opened the door. "I'll be checking controls and the flight plan. You have five minutes to get to the chopper."

Phyllis terrified of helicopters? That was unexpected and very helpful. She ran back towards the office to get her handbag and mobile phone and in no time at all, she was on her way.

* * *

><p>Mr. Wiggleton was not pleased, but he was impressed that the owner flew out to get him. He was also appeased when Mr. Bates didn't charge him at all for this trip. Anna was not surprised at this generosity, especially with the recent bungled history on this account. Mr. Bates was a fair man and it made sense to sacrifice profit this time.<p>

Flying to get Mr. Wiggleton was a quick affair, not more than ten minutes spent in the air to get him. The sensation of flying was different for Anna this time, perhaps because it was her second trip and it was no longer new for her - not that she wasn't excited, because she was. It was a similar helicopter than last time with the same noise, same configuration and the same instructions. She hardly spoke two words to Mr. Bates on the way to get their client and once they had him, she spent her time wisely, talking to him and making sure he wasn't upset. It didn't take much; Gwen was right. She didn't feel awkward with him either, he wasn't a pervert. He talked incessantly about his granddaughter and Anna spurred him on. The entire trip, over an hour in the air, went by quickly and before she knew it, they were landing on the helipad of the Mossley Industrial Park on the outskirts of Manchester.

Anna had actually never been as far west as Manchester. There hadn't been a need yet and none of her cases had brought her there. Thus, it was a new experience, and she enjoyed flying over the city. By the time they were in this great metropolis, Mr. Wiggleton was a happy man and the crisis had been averted. He left quickly, as he was late for a meeting and bid them a warm goodbye as he sped out of view.

The flight back was tense and Anna remained in the passenger section. She didn't know whether to make small talk or keep quiet. He hadn't really tried starting a conversation; his silence very telling about his state of mind. Rather than invoking his ire again, and she still didn't know what had happened, she preferred to just enjoy looking at him from behind. It was such a gorgeous view. It reminded her of the first time she rode in the helicopter so many weeks ago when they were on their way to Highclere. If she could return time to that moment, she would. It was so magical and one of the best moments in her life.

She could tell he was anxious too. He would hardly move, looking forward at all times. It wasn't natural, how he wouldn't turn at all. He had been much more relaxed when Mr. Wiggleton was in the helicopter with them. She sighed. She didn't know what she had done to inspire this obstinate and childish behavior.

After what Anna imagined was the halfway mark for their return trip, the quality of the air outside started to transform. Low thick-as-cotton-candy clouds surrounded and enveloped the helicopter completely. She could see very little of the outside and it worried her. If she couldn't see, Mr. Bates likely could not either. She could tell he was talking through his microphone, but from where he was sitting, she could not hear anything he was saying. She realized, without difficulty, that they were getting closer to the ground, where there was more visibility. Mr. Bates was trying to get her attention and through hand signals, he gestured that they were going to land. She thanked the Lord that he did tell her, because if he hadn't, she might as well have thought that they were going to crash. She peered through the window and there was nothing but green fields. He lowered the expensive equipment slowly and with a small thud, they were on the ground. She let out her breath, relieved.

As soon as the rotor blades stilled and the noise died down, he spoke.

"We'll have to sit here for a while until this low ceiling of fog dissipates. It is too dangerous to fly through."

"I'm sorry for my ignorance. Can you elaborate?" Anna did not understand what he was talking about.

"Fog has rolled into the area. Helicopters mostly fly visually. If you cannot see where you are going, then, you need to stop. There are too many mobile towers, construction cranes and buildings between us and the compound. I would rather be safe, than sorry."

Anna nodded in understanding. This made sense, but not how long it might be.

"How long does it usually take?" Not that she needed to be anywhere. She just wanted to know how long the uncomfortable silence would last after he stopped talking.

"It depends. I am trying to look at a meteorology app, but the image is too small. I radioed the office. Michael and Jack just brought in Brigitte and Michael answered. He's studying the images from our radar feeds and will let us know in a few minutes."

"….and…so, where are we now? I have no idea." Anna looked out the windows as she spoke. She could see grazing sheep in a further meadow, but there were no houses or structures visible anywhere. There were open fields and a line of trees in the near distance.

"A few kilometers away from Leeds. We passed Batley and the M621 a few minutes ago."

He went back to his headphones, as he was apparently receiving a transmission.

"Alright, thank you Michael." He stopped to listen. "No, you should go home. We'll make it in eventually. Tell Tom to go home too. I'll settle her when I get in." Another pause. "Good night."

"So, what is the verdict?" Anna dreaded what the news could be. Mr. Bates hadn't looked too hopeful when he was speaking.

"At least an hour, maybe a little more." He took off his headphones and turned off all the switches that still had lights emanating from them. "I'm going to turn everything off and save energy. I'll open the doors to let a breeze in."

Anna saw him maneuver around the front seat, pulling levers and pressing buttons. The low decibel whir of the radio signal she could hear a few minutes ago was now silent. It was so quiet, she could hear herself think and that was not good. He opened his door and descended. He took off his suit jacket and laid it on his seat. She reacted to what she was seeing and turned her head, looking out towards the sheep whose baa's could now be heard faintly. She felt herself flush. He wore that shirt so well, it would be best to not look at it at all, lest she do something inappropriate. She herself was also wearing a fitted suit top with a long sleeve shirt underneath. She mimicked his actions, as the enclosed helicopter, without any air conditioning was already becoming stifled. She saw him move around towards her compartment and he freed her from her prison, opening the door and letting the cool air in.

There was still light out, it was nearing the end of the day. It would be dark soon. The fog, though, made it overcast. The trees she had seen when they had just landed were no longer fully discernible, engulfed by the encroaching "low ceiling" as he had called it. This wasn't a singular phenomenon, she had seen this happen before in the area, but now working for a helicopter transport company, she knew the appropriate terminology and had a heightened awareness of the impacts of such happenings on this type of business.

The weather, the place where they were now resting, his mood – it all made for an eerie afternoon. The only way she could change things was if she got him talking again. Maybe then, she could figure out what was happening to him, or dare she think, between them. She moved towards the opening of the door and noticed that he had stepped a few feet away and was leaning against the fuselage, tinkering with his phone. She decided to sit on the floor, at the opening, with her legs dangling. She barely reached the tracks on the ground.

"Will there be a problem, with the owners of this land, because we landed here?"

Without looking up, he did answer. "Given the situation, most landowners would think nothing of it….as long as we don't land on crops, or obstruct a throughway, or damage anything, we should be fine." His answer was complete, but emotionless.

Anna tried again. "Does it happen often?" She still maintained the same level of energy and sweetness in her voice.

He vacillated in answering and Anna could tell that he was annoyed by the questions. "Weather can be unpredictable. We can plan our route, look at all of the meteorology, and then conditions change. It happens more often than I would like." Anna remembered how in the process of elimination of men a few days ago, she had encountered that Evelyn and Michael were stalled on an oil rig on account of the same thing on the coast. She guessed that was what he meant, but that was not what was at the top of her mind now. Why was he annoyed at her questions? She decided to ask him and get it over with. She wasn't going to ever have a better opportunity.

"Are my questions annoying you?" she asked with resolve as she stared straight at him.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me?" John could barely breathe. The last hour or so had been a nightmare for him. From the moment he realized that she would be going with him and that they would end up flying together, alone, he began to panic. He didn't see a way out of it; it was clear that there was no choice but for Anna to be the one to accompany him. She had been brilliant. Mr. Wiggleton was like putty in her hands and while the noise of the rotors didn't allow him to follow all of their conversations, all he had to do was look in the mirror into the passenger compartment and he could see how happy and carefree his customer was. Anna was always smiling, quite content. Gone was the crisis that had brought them together in the first place.<p>

His personal crisis, though, started the moment Mr. Wiggleton stepped off and walked away. Anna had remained in the back, he thought she would, preferring to be alone than to accompany him up front. He thought about suggesting it, but Anna looked so determined to remain where she was that he did not bring it up. Why would she prefer to sit with him? He was an old man whose vitality was thwarted by the amount of heavy baggage in his life. Even with his divorce on its way, Vera wouldn't go away that easily and why would such a vibrant and beautiful woman get involved with him? Of course she wouldn't – not when Richard Carlisle was so close by.

Their impromptu landing hadn't helped either. She had taken off her suit jacket and that innocent action had made him step away, finding refuge closer to the fuselage. He didn't consider himself one of those men who secretly disrobed women in their minds, but Anna did something to him and he found his mind full of lewd thoughts. Anna had opened one of the buttons of her shirt, probably to feel more refreshed, but the additional inch of skin that was made visible to him, even without revealing anything, was making him very anxious. It was a good move to step away, but she followed him to the opening. Of course she would, she was very good at conversing with people, as he had just seen. She would be bored keeping to herself.

Somehow, even when all he wanted to do was to step closer and kiss her senseless, his brain was sending the wrong signals. She asked a couple of perfectly innocent questions, the type any newcomer into this situation would feel compelled to ask, and he had not managed to quell his anxiety. His answers were bitter and curt. He hoped she hadn't been able to tell, or if she did, that she might justify his actions because of the situation they were in.

It was not to be. She noticed, as smart as she was, and as he had known her to be, she was very forthcoming with her response. She wanted to know if he was annoyed by her. With her? Yes. He was. They had started so well and she had made a different choice. She had preferred another man over him. Still, he was her client and they needed to maintain their professional relationship. Anna and her Godparents had come through with what they had promised thus far. They only had a little more to go.

"Annoying? Why would you think that?" He tried to make his answer sound less bitter, but he probably failed.

"Because, as just happened again, you won't look at me when you answer and because, the tone you're employing is not the same as you've used with me before."

She was right, but he couldn't even answer to that. The torture continued when she kept talking.

"If I did something to upset you, I wish you would just tell me." She struggled to get the words out. "If you no longer want anything to do with me, let me know, instead of stringing me along. I can take it and it would save us both a lot of grief. You wouldn't have to putter around like you were walking on eggshells."

"That's a fine idea." He finally responded with some degree of emotion even if he wouldn't look at her. He obviously did not agree with her assertions. Him walking on eggshells? That was ludicrous. He wasn't the one carrying on with Richard.

"What is?" Anna flailed her arms. She jumped off of the helicopter, forcing them to talk face to face. She was not going to back down. Even if she ended up calling Mary or Pops to pick her up, even if they were still hundreds of kilometers from York, she wouldn't back down now. They were going to talk this through and if things ended poorly, so be it.

"You want me to be the one to say it? Shouldn't it be the other way around? " It bothered him that Anna was now confronting him face to face. She was a small thing, but she did not cower easily. Even when he towered over her, she did not back down.

"No, it shouldn't be me saying it, because I'm not the one who changed their mind. You did." She crossed here arms, in defiance.

"I did? I don't think so. You are the one with all the secrets." He wasn't going to accept that he had broken this connection between them. He needed to get Anna to agree that she was the one that was doing wrong. She was the one going behind his back.

"Secrets? What are you talking about? You are the one with the secrets." Anna scrunched her mouth and her eyebrows arched. His comments were preposterous.

"I don't have any secrets." John was adamant, but he knew he had more than he cared to admit.

"Oh, really? You don't? Would you care to tell me about Edna Braithwaite and your sexual harassment charges?" She hit a bull's-eye with that comment. John's demeanor changed instantly.

"Who told you about that?"

"I'm a Private Investigator, Mr. Bates. Nobody had to tell me about that." ….As if he thought it could be kept a secret between them forever. If they had continued seeing each other, the moment Pops found out about it, he would have done a more thorough and intense search and looked for all the dirt he could. Anna knew too well that Pops wouldn't waste time in telling her all of her beau's shortcomings. He always looked out for her and she would have eventually found out.

"Well, that is not a secret. That's private. Several people in the office know about that." His comments, said with a definite tone of superiority, came with a flail. He was discounting that she knew about it and trying to lesson whatever point she was making.

"Well…. That makes all the difference, of course." She was being sarcastic and it had the intended effect. John looked surprised. "Give it up, Mr. Bates. You like younger women. You preyed on her, like you preyed on me, except I actually thought you liked me, when all you were doing was having fun…. Or did you think that I needed an incentive to do my work? It doesn't matter, of course. You have what you wanted. We gave you the proof and you are getting your divorce. You paid Edna off, but we don't need to take it that far. I won't be accusing you of anything - after all, I was a willing participant." She paused to catch her breath. "What did we have? A few clandestine kisses? I can take the hint. You no longer need me. I'll spare you the words since it is so hard for you to say them."

He was incensed. How dare she accuse him of using her? Worse still, how dare she assert that what Edna alleged was true?

"Edna Braithwaite made up those accusations. I did not pursue her for sex or anything else. They were bogus and she nearly destroyed everything I had accomplished with Bates Airlift." He was almost yelling.

"But, you paid her off. Why would you pay her off if you were innocent? Why not let the court decide?" Anna was trying to comprehend why a man with nothing to hide would take the easy route. In the eyes of many, it was an admission of guilt.

"I paid her off because I did not want my name in the press. It would have completely ruined Bates Airlift. Who would want to fly with us then?" His need to defend himself gave way to an impassioned speech. There was much emotion in his voice, almost as if he was reliving the moment. "I gave her every cent I had, because…who would have taken my word over hers? I had no evidence, none at all. I didn't have a way out….. and if you don't believe me, ask Anthony." He closed his eyes, and brought his hand to his temple. He rubbed his forehead, as he tried to gather his thoughts. "That information you gave me? The picture, the deposits slips?... Well, Anthony explained what was going on. I confronted him, thinking he might be sleeping with Vera and he almost broke down when he confessed to what was happening. He told me a story you wouldn't believe. He says he doesn't remember going home with Edna, but, one day that they ran into each other at a pub, he apparently did. The next thing he knows, he wakes up naked next to her and she claims they had sex…and wouldn't you know it? A few months later she comes to tell him she's with child. I'm pretty sure she drugged him, because he would have never gone out with her, not after the accusations she levied against me, although I don't think she slept with him at all. This child is probably somebody else's and she is trying to take Anthony for a fool…. Now she is blackmailing him into paying child maintenance and he hasn't been allowed to get a DNA test to prove the child is his. That's the sort of woman I was up against."

During this tale, Anna felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She believed him. She hadn't wanted to believe Pops and Elsie when they discovered it and this odd story confirmed his innocence in her eyes. She had confidence that she had gotten the right version of events and now felt miserable for throwing that into his face. She wished she could take it back. Learning about Anthony and his situation made her feel worse. It almost confirmed that Edna was not to be trusted. She didn't know the particulars of Anthony's case, but she would find a way to help them if she could. There had to be more information she could dig up.

This entire story, while exonerating for him, still didn't answer why he had shied away from her. Why, after such wonderful moments together, was she no longer important to him?

"Oh, God. That's horrible. I am sorry I brought it up, but hiding that information from us - what was I to think? I listen to Vera slandering you on so many conversations….. and from one day to the next, you no longer wanted to even talk to me. What was I supposed to think?"

Anna believing Vera? This situation was worse than he thought. "And so you would rather believe Vera's lies about me?" he asked with pain in his voice.

"I've never believed them and she's said some really horrible things, but what am I supposed to believe if after the most amazing kisses in my life, you didn't want to talk to me again? You dropped me from one day to the next. I felt like I might be a symptom of your desperation to end things with Vera." She stumbled to find the right words. She didn't want to hurt him anymore. "…. and if that's what happened, we'll part friends. I'll continue my investigation as if nothing happened between us. It doesn't have to be this way."

"You are not a symptom. I can't remember feeling this good with anybody else, since…." He couldn't think of a real analogy or another moment to equal what he felt when he kissed Anna the first time. He hadn't felt that good – ever. For him, it had also been the most amazing kiss. He just couldn't finish the thought, even with Anna's eyes imploring him for a response. He couldn't trust her. She didn't deserve to know.

Feeling the need to help him along, Anna weighed her options. She put her hand on his shoulder, perhaps recognizing that this was difficult for him.

"If it's too soon, John, I can wait. Just…please don't shut me out."

The innocence in her eyes made John think. What about Richard? What about what he saw? Was she forgetting that small detail? She had chosen another man over him. He took her hand gingerly, and moved it off his shoulder. The look on her face, that of rejection, pained him, but he was in more pain by her rejection than she was of his. Of that, he was certain.

"Anna, how can I shut you out if you've already shut me out?" Now, it was her turn to talk about herself and for him to reveal that he knew a bit more that she thought he did. He wasn't a fool.

"Shut you out? What are you talking about?" Anna was perplexed. Shut him out? She longed for him to touch her. She would have done no such thing, at least not to her knowledge.

"If my kisses, as you say, were the most amazing in your life, what were you doing, kissing another man? Perhaps trying to compare? Or was this for the case, your process of elimination, maybe?" He smirked, an all knowing smile. "I wasn't born yesterday. You moved on. Don't make this out to be about me."

It was his turn to cross his arms in front of his chest and find out if she had an explanation. A part of him was desperate for him to be wrong. He really wanted there to be a legitimate reason for what he saw.

"Kissing another man?" She had to think for a moment, but her mind came up empty. "Unless you mean kissing my Pops on the cheek, who I'm not giving up for you or anybody else, the last man I kissed before you was a while back. My last boyfriend, Samuel - We broke up a long time ago. Surely, you realize that I have a past."

"No, that's not it. I'm talking about Richard, Anna. I saw you with him at the Summit in London and then you were cozy together in the office the week after that. You can't have forgotten him already!"

If John Bates could turn back time, he was pretty sure he would always return to this moment and erase what he said. The fury that built up in her eyes terrified him and it unleashed an Anna he had never seen before.

"Richard Carlisle? Your douche bag Sales Manager? That's what has you this way?" She was yelling. The sweet demeanor was gone. An incredible warrior sprung forth. If she had been wielding a real weapon, he would have been dead by now. John looked on, very confused. He thought he was the aggravated party.

"Forgive me for saying this, but you are going to feel like such a fool when I finish talking to you about Richard Carlisle. You're going to listen to me and you are going to believe every word I say." She had started pointing at him, but ended up jabbing him in the shoulder with her finger to make her point. It made him take a few steps back and Anna took a few steps forward. "Your fabulous Richard assaulted me in London." She gritted her teeth and her intensity was frightening. "He cornered me, said some horrendous things, then forced his lips on mine and touched me in the process. He's stalked me at the office, blabbing some horseshit that I am supposed to come to him, for sex, because he thinks, as an intern, I can't protest."

John was crushed. What he wished for, that Anna had an explanation, came true, but finding out that somebody he worked with and admired had done that to somebody, made him ill. He might have had to retch, if not for Anna commanding all of his attention. He wouldn't dare move now.

"What is it John? Is the truth too much for you?" She moved a few steps forward, as he moved a few steps back. "That was not a kiss….." The realization that he was there and did nothing about it dawned on her. She felt betrayed. "If you saw this happening between us, why didn't you react? I would have appreciated the intervention."

"I….I….I'm so sorry Anna. All I saw was the kiss and I turned away. A few seconds later, Gwen saw me." John was reliving the moment, wondering how he had seen everything wrong. His damn insecurities steered him in the wrong direction. "I feel like such a fool."

"Well… thanks to Gwen spotting you, Richard was startled and I was able to push him back. It would have been difficult for him to do anything else, given where we were, but it didn't make it any less horrible for me. I don't know what you saw in the office a week later, something to make you think we were cozy, but he approached me and told me that he was waiting for me to come to him. It was very awkward and I have spent the last two weeks trying to evade him."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He moved forward and took her hands in his. It calmed her down.

"It would jeopardize the investigation. Nobody knows." Anna looked down, finally meek, finally out of breath from such an emotional response. She was trying hard not to cry and the feeling of her hands in his was calming. It was helping. The comfort in his touch was overwhelming.

He put his hand on her cheek. He was such an idiot. Anna had been in danger and he had taken it for something else, ignoring her and even being rude to her. God, how he wished he could turn back the hands of time and manage this differently.

"Only you know….." Anna had to think how she would word this, as it affected him and his company completely. "I have everything recorded. You know I walk around with a voice activated recorder. Even this exchange is being recorded."

He smiled. Anna was always prepared.

"This will affect you greatly, and I wish it didn't, but …. once we have figured out who the lover is, once I am no longer in your office, I intend to accuse him formally. When you listen to the recordings, you'll understand why I have to do this. I won't let another woman go through that."

The penny dropped on John. A million thoughts ran through his head. Richard a predator? Of course Anna had to accuse him. He didn't want any of the women in his firm to be subjected to what Anna had experienced. He reflected internally regarding the impact. Vera was gone. She was worthless in the company, but Richard was not. He represented all of Sales and they had a lot of history together. That made it more of a betrayal for him. He expected more and would not put up with predators, even if he had to shift his role and take on the helm of selling at the firm too. She should accuse him, and she shouldn't have to wait.

He took his hands and placed each one on either side of her head. He was cradling her very delicately. "I am so sorry this happened and you don't have to wait Anna. You should do this now. The longer you wait, the more questions might be raised. My investigation is not worth it. We'll figure something out in the office. I don't want you to have to live with that."

Anna felt a million butterflies flying through her body, much like an orgasm of happiness when John said that. Knowing that Richard was a key member of his company, she had worried he might not support her. She was thrilled. He hadn't even heard the recordings yet. There was a lot at stake, though. They were so close; she wouldn't want to ruin it. It wasn't time to expose him. He was one of the final four, even if John didn't know.

"It can't be now John, not until everything is sorted." She put her hands on top of his. "But thank you, it means a lot that you believe me." The appreciation in her eyes was evident. The fierceness was gone, replaced by tenderness. A minute smile was reflected on her lips.

"As you wish." He looked at her with love. He couldn't believe how perfect she was and that she was staring at him and looking so lovely. He sighed in contemplation. Everything was finally right between them.

They stood there, together, gazing into each other's eyes. This was one of those rare moments in a lifetime, when after walking through an endless maze of emotions and turbulent thoughts, everything suddenly became very clear. Things were so transparent, that they could see right into the depths of each other's soul. The obstructions previously blocking their paths toward each other had given way and disappeared. It was so obvious, but it took them by surprise - they were alone, misunderstandings had been cleared and they were still very much attracted to each other. The situation turned from supportive to intimate, very quickly.

Both breathed in, trying to maintain composure. They were touching; his hands still cradling her face. An amazing surge of energy coursed through their bodies. One of them shivered, but both of them felt it. His hands on her, although meant to be loving and tender, were scorching her. If they were any hotter, she could have been branded, but she wouldn't have cared. She wanted to be his completely. He felt that fire too. His hands caressed her face. She was real and she was here. The need to be closer urged them on, voices in their heads whispering to them not to waste any more time. His hands, weaving their way into her hair, guided her to him and in an instant, their lips were joined together. There was no finesse involved in this kiss. Their desperation, honed from the weeks of misunderstanding and the secret nature of their relationship manifested itself with deep passion. Back at the castle, and at her apartment, the kisses had been measured and controlled. Not now. They were in the middle of nowhere and nobody but the scattered sheep could see them. Their lips had parted immediately and their tongues caressed and tasted each other, the need to feel more and have more spurring them on. They went deeper and faster, weeks of suppressed desire manifesting themselves intensely.

Anna thought she might pass out from the insufficient air, but could not bring herself to stop. His mouth was sustenance and she was famished. She couldn't get enough of him and he couldn't get enough of her. At one point, their arms had changed positions; hers wrapped around his neck, ensuring their faces continued locked together. With their difference in heights, he had wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her flush against him and holding her higher. She wasn't even sure she was touching the ground anymore; she might have been floating, really, for the sensations he was creating in her were heavenly. She was so tight against him that he may have been supporting her weight. He pulled apart momentarily and they both gasped for air, but his move, while allowing them to breathe, was intended to position them better. He took a step back and around, bringing her with him. He had pushed her up against the rounded fuselage and her body arched against it, including her arms that were raised above her head. She was molded perfectly to the natural form of the helicopter. She felt sultry and uninhibited. Her body was open to him, summoning him to come and plunder. He accepted the invitation and his body was up against hers, covering her, caressing her. They continued with the hot and heavy kisses, until he broke away to assault her neck. His barrage was incessant, focusing on all of her sensitive areas. He rotated by kissing and sucking under her ear, across her jaws and back down her neck, then on to the other side. One of his arms still held her lower back firm against him and the other was caressing her front, touching her breasts. Anna tried to keep pace, peppering his face with kisses whenever she had access. Needing to feel him even closer, though, she brought her knee up against his thigh. Her skirt rode up to her waist and in this new position; she could feel him, hard for her. She ground against him and immense pleasure flooded her senses. If his weight against her hadn't been keeping her upright, she was sure she would have fainted.

Anna was a smart girl and always made sensible decisions; yet, she was powerless against these feelings assailing her. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone else. Rational thinking was gone. He wasn't divorced yet, but the petition had been registered and he had announced it publicly. That was enough to assuage her guilty feeling. Nothing mattered anymore and she decided then, that if he wanted her, she wouldn't be the one to stop them. It would be up to him to put the brakes on if he wasn't ready for this. Wanting more, she took her hands, which had moved to stroke his back and neck and put them on his chest. She found the first button of his shirt and opened it. She opened yet another.

John sensed that this was quickly escalating. Reasons why he shouldn't continue forward came to his mind for the briefest of seconds. Her hands, now on his chest and her lips that had found his again made him forget what he was thinking. If there had been any reasons, he couldn't remember them. This couldn't be wrong. He was soon to be a divorced man. They were consenting adults and they liked each other. A lot. Like a wanderer in the desert, she quenched his thirst and he needed to continue drinking her in. He would pursue this, feeling her and touching her until she called for it to end. After years of abstinence and self-imposed control, she was what he needed.

Mimicking her actions, he undid the first set of buttons he found. The briefest touch of his fingers on her skin made her shiver. He felt her breath hitch in his mouth. Although he was motivated to go on, he pushed back for one second and pulled his lips off of hers. He needed to be sure. Both were breathing hard, chests rising and falling. Most of John's upper body was now uncovered. The ridge of Anna's breasts and a sliver of the crème colored push up bra peeked from inside her shirt. Their eyes met. Intense feelings abounded on either side. Words were superfluous at this moment. A silent plea was asked and a second later, it was answered when their lips found each other again.

It all happened very fast after that. His shirt was tugged out of his pants with force. Anna raked her nails through his chest hair, causing him to tremble. Her fingers danced across his chest, heightening everything he was feeling. Desperate for more contact, John ended up pulling Anna's own apart. It didn't tear, but at least one button flew away, yanked from its foundation by his insistent hands. Too impatient to fiddle with and unhook her bra, John pushed it up, exposing her small and beautiful breasts. Anna moaned loudly, almost a cry, when John latched on to one of her pink nipples. Her reaction motivated him further. He took turns sucking and licking, while one of his hands reached beneath her skirt, seeking her folds. As his fingers probed her delicately, she became much more vocal. She might have pleaded for him to go on. She might have yelled. He didn't know. He was concentrating on the feeling of her hands cupping him and stroking him. She was ready. He was ready. Her hand let go of him and she fumbled with his belt, trying to undo the buckle. She was getting nowhere, and with the desire within them escalating, John didn't wait. In a move Anna didn't expect, he left her breasts and hoisted her up, completely against the chopper, higher than where she had been. With her skirt still bunched at her waist, she separated her legs and wrapped them around his body. There was no time to pull down his pants or take off her undergarments. He unzipped and moved all obstructions to the side, joining them completely.

Later, Anna would claim that this lovemaking, raw and tricky at best, was the greatest she had ever experienced. There was no comfort where they were, some metallic rivets from the chopper were eating into her back and the rails supporting the metallic bird often tripped him. His unsteadiness meant she was often banged against the fuselage too. Forthcoming bruises aside, it was mind-blowing. They were outdoors and she made love up against a helicopter. He felt wonderful inside her, a master tactician, bringing her to completion and causing sensations she wasn't sure she had ever felt before. Her entire body quivered in response. In addition, the sun had set around them, lending to the ambiance. It couldn't have lasted long; not with the adrenaline coursing through their veins and the mad passion between them. It was only a few minutes at best, but it was enough to solidify her feelings for him. It was also enough for her to gauge that Vera had been mistaken. He knew exactly what he was doing and he had no problems at all.

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><p>He put her down and they slumped to the ground underneath the mammoth bird. Marilyn, their only witness, was now also their shelter as they tried to control their breathing and cool off. The grass beneath them, moist from the fog, helped considerably.<p>

John was in awe of what had just happened. He had made love to beautiful, exquisite, Anna. It was a dream, really, to go from feeling like an underdog, to become the victor. Not that it was a game; not at all. With so much at stake in his personal life, he would not have entered into this situation frivolously. No, she had become his dream and his savior. He was finally alive. He didn't know where this would lead to and what would become of them, his situation still up in the air, but she was what he needed now.

He was eager to hold her, but he wasn't sure if she wanted that. It had been such a long time since he was last with a woman and in the modern ways, he was not very smart. It had been almost two decades since he had been on a date and the world had changed considerably. Did women still want to be held? Life had changed. In his youthful dalliances, he wouldn't want to snuggle. Now he wanted to. He took a chance and his hand searched for hers. With their clothes still very much askew, he found it lying on her bare belly. With trepidation, he wrapped his fingers around hers. She allowed it and their hands were intertwined. When he tugged at it, testing whether she would come to him, she did.

"Anna, that was wonderful. Thank you," he spoke as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.

"You don't have to thank me, silly." She chuckled lightly and raised her head to where she could see him. Radiating happiness, she gave him a quick peck. "For the record, it _**was**_ wonderful." She laid her head against his bare chest.

Nothing was said for a few minutes. They reveled in their closeness and felt the coolness of the breeze around them. They held on to each other possessively. They felt very much as one in the same. This was almost as good as what had just happened between them.

Dark had now enveloped them and John could see some stars. Enough were visible that he knew that the problem that had caused them to land was existent no more.

"The low ceiling has moved away." He feared that their time in this secluded spot was coming to an end.

"Mmmm...has it?" Anna didn't budge. She was ignoring what that could mean for them. Maybe if she did, they could remain here forever. She wouldn't mind. She hugged him tighter and planted small kisses on his broad chest.

"As much as I would hate to move, I did register this helicopter's flight path. If I don't radio in soon, the Civil Aeronautics authority will send out a search party."

"Fine, let's get up." With a lot of hesitation, she sat up and he soon followed. They were still sitting on the ground, but with their bodies upright and facing each other. She adjusted her bra as John started buttoning his shirt. Anna decided to broach the question of where things stood between them before they left. His cryptic answers the last time had led them to much confusion and she wasn't willing to go down that road again.

"John…..What just happened, just so you know, I don't do this. It happened because it was you and because, I think you feel it also, there is a connection between us."

Before she could continue, she had to look into his eyes to see if he agreed. The fragile and loving look he gave her affirmed this feeling, even if he didn't say anything.

"I understand things are complicated right now and perhaps this was too soon, but I don't regret it."

He leaned forward and gave her a kiss. "I don't regret it either." When he pulled back to look at her, his few words had made her smile and she was glowing. Still, he had to be more direct than he was the last time they spoke. He wouldn't make that mistake again. What was it that Robert has said? - Clear, Plain and Unmistakable terms.

"What I do regret, is that my situation does not allow me to take you out or do anything in public with you. You're right. We do share a connection and I want to see you again." He paused. "I don't know where this will lead, but, it can't really start, not the way I would want it to."

Anna thought she understood. Or she didn't. She asked again.

She made sure to keep calm and a speak with a clear and even tone. It wouldn't help to scare him or make him think she was becoming Glenn Close to his Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction.

"What does this mean John? I do understand what is at stake and I don't want to ruin things for you. I really don't… so….. Are you saying that you do not want us to see each other until everything is resolved, and then see what happens?" In her heart, she begged for him to disagree with her. She couldn't stand it if he agreed that they should have no contact. Not after today.

Not see her? Not taste her lips, after what they had just shared? He didn't think he could live as long as he had without any of her kisses. Not anymore. This was confusing. He didn't want to botch things with her, not after the poor job he had done before.

"I don't know Anna. You have to agree that this, what we just did, was rather unexpected and as you say, maybe it was too soon. What I do know, is that I would want to take you on a proper date, outside of the confines of the investigation and the office. I want to get to know you better. I want to see you again, I do, but I am not sure that we can do that - not yet, until at least the entire divorce is settled."

Anna felt relieved. He did want to see her again and do things properly.

John continued. "What about you Anna? I am a complicated man, but, this shouldn't be about what I want or need." He took her hand and kissed it gently. "It should be about both of us."

She swooned when he said that. If they had the time, she would have kissed him, passionately, and made love to him again. She contained herself, though. This was important. She breathed in to keep her calm demeanor.

"I didn't envision this type of situation in my life; one where the relationship I want cannot be out in the open." She paused to gather her thoughts. "I also know that for the time being, I cannot see myself being parted from you. These weeks, when you weren't talking to me, they were torture and after what we just shared, I can't go back. I can't…." She was trying to be strong, but a tear streamed down her face.

John's thumb smoothed it away. He was drawn to her again, and he kissed her. It stopped her tears and she responded, kissing him back with as much love as she could. He pulled apart and their foreheads came together.

"We are in a pickle, aren't we?" John tried to make her laugh and he succeeded. She chuckled at his silliness.

"Can we agree, Anna asked, "That we will not be out in the open, and that we will both be patient, but, if an opportunity to be together should arise, we won't let it go either?" Anna looked at John with expectation.

"I think we can agree to that." Their lips came together again and time stood still.

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><p><strong>AN: I was very anxious about writing this chapter and whether to make it M or not. I have gone back and forth with this in my mind since I started writing chapter one and the M finally wrote itself. Ultimately, their entire relationship is secret and their times together few and far between. With their connection, misunderstandings and the electricity between them, this would accelerate the physical side and it would have been inevitable. **

**Thank you for the reviews and follows. I appreciate every one. **

**There are still plenty of unanswered questions. Will Vera seek out revenge? Is one of the four men Vera's lover? What will happen to Sarah? Stay tuned. **


	13. Crew Lounge Kisses

**Hello dear readers - 12.8K words. The mysteries continue….**

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><p>Anna couldn't recall how she got home that night. She was sober and sane, but the entire ride home was spent building castles in the sky. She tried to avoid it as it wasn't the sensible thing to do. They had just gotten together and with so much still unknown in his future, the only certainty was the actual uncertainty of it all. She would be lying if she didn't admit her mind had wandered and looked ahead into her future. She envisioned herself as the future Mrs. Bates, wearing a white dress and dancing the first waltz at their wedding. In her vision, he was dapper and debonair and only had eyes for her. She wasn't prone to the silly daydreaming of a teenage girl; the harsh realities of her young life made her mature quicker than the rest of the girls her age. She was raised an independent woman by both her parents and Godparents and had the economic means to not depend on anybody else to get ahead. She wasn't delusional either thinking that one instance of intimacy between them entitled her to more of him. It wasn't even the amazing sex that had her dizzy with excitement. It was the way he gazed into her eyes when they were saying good-bye. No man had ever looked at her with such intensity. There was tenderness and love, coupled with longing and deep desire. It sent chills down her body. He couldn't say anything and since they were already on the compound, they couldn't even touch. His eyes, though, windows into his soul, said much more than words ever could. He loved her, as much as she already loved him. She was convinced that he was the one she was supposed to be with.<p>

These sentiments increased exponentially when she received another tweet notification, having only left the Bates Airlift compound a few minutes before.

I MAY NOT BE RELIGIOUS, BUT I AM CERTAIN THERE ARE ANGELS WALKING THIS EARTH. #CHANGINGFORTUNE #ONELUCKYBLOKE

How could she not let her mind wander? That was the perfect thing to say to make up for so many days of misery. Now, without a definite plan to see him again, her heart had to contend with filling the void with the nonsensical images of what their future could be. The whole forty minutes it took to get home was the entire time she allowed herself to frolic in her dream. It came to an end in her head when she parked her car. Reality set in that she still had a job to do for him and many files to go through and in an instant, her fantasy evaporated.

She wondered, still, how she would ever get the concentration she needed to continue to work that night. When she unlocked the front door, she realized it would be harder than she thought.

"Oh, great. I am so happy you're home. Be a dear and help me choose an outfit for my next date with Matthew," Mary bellowed as she propped up two hangers that dangled two completely different styled outfits.

Mary. She didn't count on her friend being home. It was unlikely that she would make it into her bedroom without at least a chat and Mary was really good at reading her. She hadn't thought about whether she should reveal what had just happened or not. Her instinct was to keep it a secret as long as was possible.

"What are you doing home so early? I thought you'd still be at the pub." Anna closed the door behind her and moved a couple of steps forward, placing her handbag and jacket down on the closest chair.

"Edith and Sybil are here on break for several weeks. Edith will be taking some shifts at the pub while Sybil starts her work experience at the hospital." She pulled up the two outfits again, willing Anna to focus on her dilemma. "It's a picnic. Do I go for casual chic or romantic innocent?

Anna was sure she couldn't tell what moniker was assigned to what outfit. She wouldn't have worn either of the choices to a picnic. Jeans, a fetching top and cute matching flats would be the ideal for such an event if it was outdoors. She reached forward, conjuring the right words to speak as she took one of the outfits from her friend. Mary was rather lost when it came to decisions on what to wear. She had good taste and a refined style and dressing down was not natural to her. Even at the pub she looked like she didn't belong.

Mary's face turned inquisitive. "Wait, Anna. Turn around." Anna did as she was told. "What are those hideous stains on the back of your shirt? …..and on your skirt?"

"What stains?' Anna craned her neck to determine if she could see anything and when she couldn't, she untucked the shirt to shift the backside towards her. It was full of black markings.

By then, Mary had taken her outfits from both their hands and set them down. This warranted a closer look. "They are like oil. What were you doing at that hangar that has got you so dirty?"

The realization slowly hit Anna. With the incessant banging and rubbing against the helicopter's fuselage, she must have wiped off oil residue. She was too distracted at the time to notice it. She would have to lie. She could invent something work related – helping the mechanics on another overhaul was a plausible explanation.

"Oh, that? It must be..."

"Wait. You have that face." Mary cut off Anna's thoughts. She remembered this from other times.

"What face?" Anna was trying hard to change whatever Mary thought she saw. She even modified her tone of voice to adopt a more stern posture.

Mary's hands couldn't avoid flailing. The excitement was building within her. "The mischievous face. Anytime you do something remotely spontaneous and unexpected that you want to cover up….. you do that face."

"I do not." Mary was on to something, but she would deny it.

"You do, Anna. The last time I saw that face you were trying to cover up that it was you who found the evidence of the headmaster Kelly's affair with his student intern."

The moment Mary said it, realization set in and her eyes slowly opened wider and her mouth opened up in shock. This was why they were best friends. Mary was too smart in that respect. Anna knew that Mary had just guessed what she had been up to and it would be no sense to continue denying it.

"Anna May Smith….You didn't just do what I think you did, or did you?" The stains were only on her backside which means she was either lying down or against something.

"What do you think I did?" Anna's nonchalant teasing side came to the surface. If she would have to confess, she might as well have fun. She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at the same time one of her hands came to rest on her hip.

"Don't play coy with me, missy. It's written all over your face…. and clothing." She leaned forward and sniffed her neck. "Men's cologne. I bet that if I were to sniff John Bates, that's what he would smell like."

"Well, you'd be right, of course." Anna relented to the banter and softened her facial features, hinting to Mary that she could continue with the playful persecution.

"Judging by those stains, you must have been at it on or around a helicopter." It was a statement, but judging by Mary's upturned lip and quizzical stare, it was meant to be a question.

"Again, you'd be right." Anna smiled and contained the giggles that were threatening to erupt. It made her want to laugh seeing Mary desperate for the gossip and details of her tryst.

"You are really going to make me suffer, aren't you? Let's just see if I don't do the same and limit the information that is made available to you when I decide to take it to that level with Matthew."

"Oh, all right." Anna proceeded to share the more innocent facts about her recent encounter and as she did, she could tell Mary was equal parts excited and worried.

"I wasn't sure you would go through with it."

"It just happened, we didn't plan it, but it was amazing. He is amazing and I don't regret it one bit. He announced his intent to divorce in the office, so, it's not like I am breaking his marriage."

"I can clearly see that this make you happy. Just, please be careful. Don't get in over your head. I don't doubt he cares for you, but he'll be confused for a while. I would hate to see you hurt."

- 0 -

He was in his bed at the Palace Hotel, but he could not sleep, nor did he think he would be able to. John Bates was giddy. He couldn't recall ever being this happy. His life, or at least the last two decades, had been lived as a mere existence. Days just happened to him, and he wished for them to finish no sooner than they started. What little joys he experienced he drew from his helicopters and his company. He didn't feel contentment or much of anything else. Hypersensitivity had set in, all of a sudden, as a type of rebirth where the numbness in his life had faded away, revealing that he was still capable of feeling and of loving. He tingled every time he thought about her. His heart fluttered when he remembered her lips on his. It had been hours and he couldn't have a thought without it generating another physical sensation. He had never experienced such a situation and he couldn't control it. Not that he tried. He wanted to retain as much of her as he could.

The elation almost made him forget the pain in his leg. Almost. He had learned to live with his discomfort and few people, if any at all, knew of the accident that had required a knee and hip replacement. He could get on well, not requiring any walking aids, as his life was mostly sedentary. Sitting at his desk and the occasional helicopter trip required low levels of exertion and so nobody could tell the difference at all. To the untrained eye, he was normal and luckily, even though he didn't understand why, Vera had not been vocal publicly about his disability. Perhaps, even though her own brother, Callum, succumbed to his injuries from the same disaster, she must have imagined that had he survived, he would have fared the same or worse than he did.

He brushed those thoughts from his mind. He didn't want to think of Vera or the unfortunate event that had ruined a part of him and had been the precursor to his misery. He would rather think of the fortunate event from this night and how it had affected him now. The effort to sustain Anna's weight while they made love, even as slight as she was, had taken its toll. His leg was throbbing and he hadn't felt such pain since the Make a Wish event. Before coming to bed, he rubbed down with an analgesic heat agent. It always made his joints and strained muscles feel a little better, although the unpleasant smell made him feel like an old man. He laughed. He'd been anything but an old man tonight. He was rather pleased with his performance, as rusty as he was. He would gladly live through the pain twenty more times if it meant Anna and him could come together like that again.

Getting back into the helicopter to leave had proven a challenge for them. They sat underneath Marilyn's tail end, kissing and holding each other for at least another quarter hour before they finally made their departure. Neither wanted to let go of the other, but reason and responsibility won out. Still holding hands, he escorted her to her seat and this time, she sat up front with him. He loved having her by his side and being able to witness her face as it lit up as she enjoyed such an unobstructed and grand view. They flew over Leeds, then, eventually York and it was her first time at night, watching the cityscape below illuminated by the thousands of lights. Her eyes danced with emotion, the same as a child's expression during Christmas. He committed the sight to memory and prayed that she would want to come back up with him.

They were discreet when they landed. Even though it was already late and everybody had left, they couldn't let down their guard. Knowing that the threat of Vera was never too far away, they hardly touched and went their separate ways, sharing a knowing glance. If he could call her, or text her, he would have sent a message or dialed her quickly to say how much he already missed her. Communication between them still being off limits, he reverted to the only form allowed to him – tweeting – and he send the most ingenious message he could. She was an angel to him, send down from above to save him from his inconsequential existence. He would tell her every chance he got, perhaps even sooner than she thought. This restless evening evoked an idea about a trip he might want to make with her, much sooner than expected.

The other thought that kept him awake was Richard Carlisle. He wouldn't call Richard a friend, they weren't exactly close, but they had a good working relationship. He'd jumped at the chance to hire him about five years ago, when Richard was looking for a new opportunity. It was about the same time that he was trying to expand the operation from his small two helicopters and three pilot operation to something larger. Richard had come with references and a good sales background, and although a bit pompous for his taste, ha had proven effective. Today, they had six helicopters and seven pilots. He couldn't have done that on his own. He definitely owed the man a percentage of the partnership that he had been requesting. The fact that he was a predator didn't change that. He had landed the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account as well and that would likely take them to seven helicopters and nine pilots. This was difficult. How could Richard be replaced without affecting his business? He believed Anna and she said she had evidence against him, but if Anna did not want to move forward with her accusation now, he was in a tight spot. He could not put Richard off much longer. No sooner had they come back from the London Oil and Gas summit, Richard had asked to see him on the matter. He had deflected the matter again, but with Vera gone, there was less of an obstacle to carry forward with Richard's proposal. If Anna didn't accuse him, Richard stood to take offense from John's stall tactics. He had threatened to leave the company in the past. Leaving as a coward with his reputation in tatters was one thing, but leaving as an act of defiance, gave him the upper hand. He could take his business contacts elsewhere, maybe even steer the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS away from them. He really did not know what to do.

His heart was torn. His instinct was to assault the man and cause him pain and he knew exactly what he needed to do to accomplish that. His years in the military service had taught him many a practical skill and that was one of them. He had dared touch Anna against her will, during a company event. He shouldn't get away with that and now, he had to talk to him as if nothing had happened. He had to pretend that Richard hadn't tried to force himself on the woman his heart had started to love.

As he tossed and turned in the lumpy bed, he was unaware of how late or early it was. Time didn't matter anymore and it was futile to think he would get any sleep at all. There were just too many emotions running wild within him. The last time he glanced at the bedside table, it was close to three in the morning. He would have to get up soon. That wasn't such a bad idea, if he thought about it. Tomorrow, or later, rather, he would get to see her again. He could hardly wait.

- 0 -

Anna drove into the lot much earlier than usual. After falling asleep from exhaustion, but with excitement still coursing in her veins, she awoke after only a handful of hours of sleep. She was awake by four, and after a fitful half hour of turning and another quarter hour of watching the news, she decided that she would rather be more useful and readied herself to go to the office. She might as well read through some of her notes regarding the processes that Phyllis was teaching her, to make sure she was fully grasping how the customer billing process worked. She didn't know why, but she really wanted Phyllis' stamp of approval. That, and possibly seeing him alone, even for a few minutes before the others arrived, would be her motivation. It was half past six when she arrived.

She shivered when she saw his car in the lot. He couldn't possibly be here. The rest of the car park was empty, which meant, most likely, that they would be together, alone. She fumbled with her belongings, nervous. He was notorious to her, after the last two bouts of physical closeness, of being aloof the next day. If he appeared that way now, she wasn't sure she could handle it. Her high heels normally clacked on the pavement, but, this time, she walked quietly, on her tiptoes, not wanting to scare him, or prompt any of that behavior she dreaded. Quietly, she punched the code to get her through the waiting area and made it across without being detected. If he was here, he had not heard her quiet entrance. The light in his office was on, but he was not there. She walked the few steps to her desk and left her belongings. She went in search of him and as she neared the crew room, she heard distant sounds in their kitchen. As if on cue, he walked out of said room. With a steaming cup of tea in his hands, he looked up to see her. He couldn't hide his surprise. He obviously did not expect her.

"Anna," was all he could say. He stood his ground, but his shifting feet made him look nervous.

Was he happy to see her? She couldn't tell. "I couldn't sleep at all. I thought I'd be more useful here," she offered as an explanation, still holding back her emotions. Her natural instinct was to run towards him and it was taking great effort to contain herself.

He set down the beverage on a nearby cabinet, as he answered, "I couldn't either. I wasn't able to get you out of my head, even for a minute." He took a few cautious steps forward, the anxiety of discovering if she felt the same way keeping him from walking all the way up to her.

"You were in my head too," she answered weakly, emotionally shaken by his confession. She walked the few steps needed to reach him. His words meant that he still wanted her near and that he hadn't changed his point of view overnight.

They were standing, facing each other, and it only took a few seconds for them both to move towards each other. With only a few inches between them, his arm had come around to her waist and pulled her close to him. Her arms, she place on his chest. She felt calm and elated to be so close to him and she ached for more. She worried, slightly. Any affection between them in the office was dangerous, even if they were alone.

"We're in the office Mr. Bates. I think standing so close to you might be improper." Her voice, cheeky and playful, accompanied a smile on her face.

"It is improper, but there is nobody here. We are alone for at least the next hour." He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. His thumb caressed the skin on her face and she felt weaker in his arms. She couldn't believe how she could become a pile of mush when so close to him. Again, she was thankful for his arm that kept her upright.

"I want to desperately kiss you. Do I have your permission?"

She answered him wordlessly, bringing her lips to meet his. It was a thoughtful kiss – slow and sweet. Mindful of their surroundings, it was over sooner than either wanted. Anna put her head on his shoulder and put her arms around him. He brought his hands from her face to her middle, following suit and hugging her. This was the first time they had hugged and it felt perfect, having her in his arms.

"I was afraid, you'd changed your mind overnight." Anna wanted to be sincere; she was through with leaving things unsaid.

"Never." After a minute or so, as they held each other in the same position, John thought of a place for them to be. "I have an idea." He took her hand and led her away to the quiet and darkness of the crew lounge. "I thought we could sit here, at least for a little while, if you want."

"Sounds lovely." She reached up to kiss his cheek and he turned on purpose, catching her kiss with his lips. This time, it wasn't brief. It was much more sensual than their last, only a few minutes ago. With the lighting in the crew lounge so dim, it felt a lot more romantic. She was in heaven.

"We can sit next to each other in the two recliners against the wall, or we can squeeze in together in this one which is a little larger," he said as he pulled away.

"I think I'd like to squeeze in with you." She wasn't going to sit in another recliner, no matter how close it was. In the recesses of her mind, she remembered her first tour of the facilities, when Gwen was showing her around and introducing her to everybody. Gwen had cheekily announced that sooner or later, she would make use of the recliners, because everybody did. How true her words were. Except, at that time, she would never imagine that it would be with the owner and she was pretty sure that Gwen meant sleeping or resting, not snogging.

He sat down first and pulled her down to him. There wasn't really room to squeeze in, and she ended up sitting on his lap. It was strange to be in this position, so close to each other. She barely knew him, even if she had already shared the most intimate act between them. She suddenly felt shy. There was so much she still didn't know.

"I'm going to need you shift to this side, if you can." It was an odd request. She gazed at him confused. Perhaps he wanted her off and was being too kind?

At her confusion, he clarified. "I have an old hip and knee injury on this side. If you put all your weight on the other side, we'll be just fine."

"There's so much I don't know about you," she expressed as she moved, relieved that he still wanted her there. "What type of injury is it?"

The look he gave her made her feel more comfortable, losing the bit of awkwardness she was experiencing. She cuddled against him with confidence, and it was a better position. With her head slightly above his, she could even see that the swelling underneath his eye had lessened. The purple hue she noticed last Tuesday had faded to mustard yellow. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and her shyness was lost completely. She wrapped her arms around his neck, passing her lips lightly over his cheek.

He chuckled and she wondered what was funny about her question, or about what she was doing.

"You're right. There is much you don't know about me, but, I imagine that you know much than I would tell anybody who I'd just met."

She had to agree there. Any information on him that was public record, plus Joe's hacking abilities into some accounts, meant that she had a pretty good idea of what he did and who he was.

"Yes, it is my job to know. I've seen your dossier – born in Dublin, aged 44, ex-soldier, military campaigns in the Gulf War and a posting with NATO during the Bosnian War. I won't lie. I've seen your assets and your bank statements too."

"Exactly. But you don't know the whole story. You only know a part of it and you will be tempted to make your own assumptions, like you did with the Edna Braithwaite issue."

"But John," she tried to interject, but he cut her off. She was so sorry about it.

"No, please. Let me continue." Anna nodded for him to go on and he did. "What I am trying to say is – You have numbers and facts, but they don't make up the truth about me. You don't have my story." He smiled, quite infectiously, and it caused Anna to smile, although she didn't know why. She still didn't understand what he was trying to say. Maybe this was bad, what he was trying to relay. She shouldn't smile but, she couldn't help it. He was just so adorable.

"Anna, I would rather you have my story, from me. I lied yesterday when I said I didn't have any secrets. I do, unfortunately, have many, and some things may not even be in that dossier of yours, including the reason for my injuries that you asked about. As a private detective, I am sure you'll keep looking, and if you do, you may find other things. If we are to give this, whatever we have, a go, then, you need to hear them all and make your decisions."

Anna was touched. He wanted to give her full disclosure. That was both exciting and scary. He still had many secrets.

"I'll listen to anything you want to tell me John. I don't think right now is a good time, though." She looked at the clock. They had half about half an hour.

"I agree…. I don't think I could fit it all in now. Not when I want to do more of this." He kissed her again and she gave into it with her full heart. She was mad with desire for him. His kisses were both a gift and torture at the same time. He pulled back, leaving her numb. What I suggest, and I hope that you don't find it too forward." He laughed at his comment. After yesterday, he didn't know what was forward anymore. They'd already been intimate with each other. "Given our situation, we can't meet anywhere in the vicinity. I was hoping that you were willing to spend this weekend with me, away from here."

He thought about it last night, during one of his sleepless hours. Why was he kidding himself? He had tried to put a practical distance between them, stating it during their post sex discussion, but he knew he could never really follow through. He needed her close.

A weekend with him? Anna thought she might be dreaming. It made sense. They couldn't have a normal relationship. Not yet. She wanted desperately to see him as often as she could and last night, she thought that it would be impossible. Today was Friday, though. He meant tomorrow. She would have to do a lot of things tonight if she were to agree, but she would gladly do them. This is what she had been hoping for. She wouldn't turn him down now.

While she was organizing her thoughts, John took it to be hesitation. He nudged her shoulder, believing she might need persuading. "Come Fly with Me."

"A weekend, flying with you? I would love it." She gave him a peck on the cheek, before asking a practical question. "Where are we going?"

"That, my dear, is a surprise and part of what you will learn about me." Anna furrowed her brow. To assuage her doubts, he added. "You'll have to trust I'll keep you safe."

"I trust you, silly beggar. I was just wondering… How am I supposed to know what to bring?"

- 0 -

* * *

><p>Phyllis Baxter learned to like Anna Smith. The intern asked the right questions and paid attention during the explanations that were provided. When Tom had sent a requisition for several spare parts, Anna was proactive, accessing the website of their preferred providers and placing the order herself. Before finalizing the transaction, though, she had asked Phyllis to look it over and she had done well. It pleased her to see that the young woman had the logical abilities and the common sense that Sarah lacked. Sarah was keen on belittling the intern's abilities, but Phyllis was sure that Anna was probably smarter than all of them, save herself. She often had her doubts, when she observed the girl, and had a hunch that her presence here was not what it seemed. She went so far as to take her concern to Mr. Bates, soon after she suspected Anna was snooping. He reassured her, when she took the liberty to suggest Anna might be a spy for Helicopters UK, that she was nothing of the sort and that he had thoroughly verified her background before bringing her to Bates Airlift. Just to be sure, Phyllis did some checking herself, and as Mr. Bates had explained, her listing for the Interns UK website as a graduate of University of Warwick was found. That helped appease her worry. She didn't intend to pry into Anna's life deliberately; she was just making sure that her presence was legitimate, yet, she also discovered the newspaper article from the York Press detailing the horrific car accident that left a then 14 year old Anna Smith an orphan. Her mother a teacher and her father, a property developer, were sideswiped by a lorry and killed instantly when their car crashed. The article went on to say that the young girl, not with her parents at the time, would be cared for by family. Phyllis had not imagined that Anna could come from such a tragic background. The article also included some inappropriate comments regarding her father's net worth at death, leading Phyllis to believe that Anna Smith most likely did not lead a pauper's life.<p>

Anna intrigued Phyllis. If she came from money, what was she doing working at a company like theirs? She was always there early and stayed late - including today, a Friday. Phyllis was usually the one member of staff prone to arriving early and not leaving until the work was done. It was her habit to be there by 730am. Today, she came to find Anna and Mr. Bates had arrived even earlier than she did. It was surprising. It wasn't the first time either. She wondered about that.

- 0 -

John looked up when he heard the knock on the door.

"You called for me?" There was trepidation in Anthony's voice. Since he had confessed his love for Vera, he didn't know what to expect from John. They hadn't even had the opportunity to talk about his divorce either. After the public announcement, he preferred to give Mr. Bates space, and then the next two days, he had traveled to London for an Accounting Symposium that was meant to keep him up to date with the changes in the UK tax code. The issue of the divorce and the impact to the company remained undiscussed between them.

"Yes. We need to talk. Please shut the door." Anthony did as he was told, gently closing it. He walked the few steps forward until he was sitting. He didn't say anything, letting Mr. Bates take the lead.

"There are many things we need to discuss." He paused and looked out the window, keeping his eyes fixed on the grassy terrain. "The next few weeks will be rough. Can I count on your loyalty?" He brought back his eyes until Anthony was in his line of sight.

"Of course. You've always had my loyalty." Anthony confirmed it, but the look in John's eyes meant he didn't believe him. Why would he, really, after the shocking confession he had made.

"Vera was having an affair, Anthony. I hired a private detective firm to follow her and they produced the evidence."

Anthony's shocked demeanor was what John needed to ascertain that Anthony had no knowledge of it. His jaw dropped, leaving his mouth hanging open. There was a deception in his eyes, likely brought on by the sorrow of knowing that the woman he had harbored feelings for was not who he thought she was.

"An affair?" His weak voice confirmed that the knowledge was painful for him. He often dreamed that if the Bateses were divorced, he might have an opportunity with her, and even more of a fantasy, that she would want to seek him out.

"Yes. I was not being paranoiac when we last spoke. I knew something was going on, but I had no proof. Now that I do, you understand what made the dissolution of the partnership possible."

"Yes. I understand." He kept a copy of the incorporation papers as reference. He understood well what John Bates would be entitled to.

"I am not telling you this to hurt you, Anthony. I'm not sure if you believed Vera was capable of such, but, after living with her for 18 years, I can tell you she is. It is not my intention to poison your mind to gain your allegiance and I am not here to convince you of anything either. I have evidence and the courts will make their decisions. I plan on doing this as fairly as possible, as I don't want any future problems. My concern is that Vera is very clever and I can assure you that she will come after me in some way or another. She can do whatever she wants with me, but I don't want the company affected, or any team members unnecessarily dragged in to whatever conflict ensues. I want to know that if she contacts you for anything related to the office, that you will not concede anything to her, or enable any action that could harm Bates Airlift."

"Absolutely not. I have my dignity and I as much as she may affect me, I would not let her do anything untoward the company - Her or anybody else." Anthony's tone was very passionate by now.

"Thank you," pronounced John, with certain relief in his voice.

Anthony shifted in his chair. He still had to make clear that he couldn't avoid Vera altogether. "She's still your partner until the final dissolution decree is awarded. Until that time, you cannot hire, fire without cause, promote anyone, increase a salary or make any expenditures above one thousand pounds, unless both of you sign for authorization. I bring that up because legally, I am bound to talk to her if you should want any of those things."

John appeared annoyed. He couldn't wait for the day to arrive when everything was solved.

"I understand," he said with visible disgust.

"I'll take my leave." Anthony rose to make his departure, thinking the conversation was over.

"Wait. One last thing…." Anthony turned back and when John had his attention again, he continued. "I've been thinking of your situation. I asked my private investigators for help, at my expense. I want to be sure you are ok with that."

"What can they do?" Anthony looked skeptical.

"I'm not sure, but they caught Vera. If Edna has anything to hide, if she's not been on the up and up with you, they will catch her too."

"I'm not sure. It may make things worse if she finds out." For Anthony, incurring in Edna's wrath was the worst imaginable outcome. He'd seen what she did to John Bates and he did not have nearly as deep pockets as his boss did.

"She won't. They're very discreet and effective." He paused. "Wouldn't you want to know if something was not right?" John didn't want to insist, it was Anthony's life, but the man was too good-heartened and cash-constrained to even consider this as an option for himself. Anthony had served him well for years and he would be damned if he allowed that harpy to take advantage of such a noble man.

"Fine. Let's see what they can do."

- 0 -

John caught Richard peering into Accounting on his way back from the hangar. In an instant, his blood pressure increased and a rush of adrenaline invaded his body. It was the way he was standing, half hidden and lurking, that hinted at his intention. The nerve of that man…. He was spying on Anna, waiting and wondering when he could get her alone, no doubt, to harass her. John was ready to defend her if he dared touch her again. He breathed in to regain his composure. He needed to be smart about this. Anna wouldn't want that, a physical altercation. Not now. John breathed in again. He couldn't imagine that such actions took place in his company. He would be upset if it was anyone, but, it was a trifle more infuriating for it to happen to his Anna.

Richard continued in his aloof pose, unaware that he was being observed. At that precise moment, Richard shifted to stand behind a wall. John was curious at his actions. Then he understood. Anna came from the entry, by herself. Richard grabbed her by the wrist when she least expected it. Anna was startled by his forwardness and pulled her arm back, but Richard held it tight. He couldn't see Richard's expression, as he was facing in the opposite direction and all he could see was his back. Anna's face, though, was visible. There was a mix of anger and fear. Richard reached down to say something, none of which John could hear, and that was when he made his move.

"Richard, do you have a moment?" His tone was demanding, signaling that this was not an option. Every ounce of restraint he had in his body was employed to stop from hurtling himself against the man and striking him down. He didn't need anything to confirm her side of the story, the moment she mentioned it, he believed it, but confirming it visually made the story more real for him. Anna had done nothing to warrant such an action against her. He could be her witness, as he had seen it with his own eyes and there was no confusing the situation. Richard was clearly stalking Anna.

Both Anna and Richard were startled by John's voice and Richard immediately let go of her. Anna's face relaxed when she saw him standing there. With a polite, "Excuse me," she walked ahead and passed him, not before timidly smiling and wordlessly mouthing, _"Thank you."_

"Wait for me in my office, Richard. I will be there in a moment." His Sales Manager, confused by it all, or perhaps not believing that he had been caught, left without saying much. His expression was ambiguous. He was either trying to downplay the situation, or felt that he had done nothing wrong.

As soon as Richard was gone, John went in search of Anna. He found her, in the kitchen. She must have been on her way to prepare some tea, but he came upon her, with her hands holding on to the counter, for stability. It appeared she was trying to calm herself down.

"Anna, are you alright?" She turned and he could see the rim of her eyes, flooding with tears. Her hands went up immediately to her face, to wipe away the evidence.

"Yes. Just startled." He walked closer and lowered his voice.

"I really want to hold you right now." He turned towards the door to make sure they were still alone.

She answered in an equally low voice. "And I would want to be held, but, this is not the moment."

He gave her a half smile, one she had seen only a couple of times, and it made her feel better. It was a comfort in itself that he had followed her here.

"Anna, tell me. What did he say to you?"

"You mustn't sack him for this. Not now, not yet." She was begging him.

He didn't want to insist, making her more uncomfortable than she already was; yet, he needed to know so that he could manage the situation with Richard better. "Anna, I saw it with my own eyes. He was aggressive towards you." Don't be afraid.

"If we accuse him now, his solicitor will do a thorough check on my background. I will be found out. You will be found out. We've both worked hard for this John, don't ruin it." She continued whispering and looking towards the door, ensuring nobody could overhear their very revealing conversation.

"I won't sack him, but what did he say to you?" He hated to promise her that. He really would want to see that man leave, rather than keep her in harm's way. Worse, he might physically hurt him.

"He asked me why I was hiding from him." Anna revealed the truth partially. She omitted the part where Richard implied that she really wanted him and shouldn't play hard to get. If John knew that, he wouldn't be able to control himself. Even though she was only getting to know him, she understood that those words could enrage him. She didn't know if John Bates was a violent man, she didn't think he was, but she would rather not find out today. As always, she had her recorder and the conversation was most likely recorded too. That would be enough for her.

"I'll go deal with him now. Are you sure you are fine?" He reached out to touch her shoulder, the only physical contact he could risk.

"Yes, go on." Anna was pleased that he believed her. His hand also spread some warmth through her. It was a small touch, but it comforted her immensely.

"I really, really want to wrap you in my arms." His eyes reflected the intensity of his feelings.

"I know… And I do too…Tomorrow."

She smiled back and it was the courage he needed to continue with his task. He walked out of the kitchen. What could he say or do to Richard if Anna didn't want him to take action? It was complicated. She wasn't making it easy for him, but she was right. This was a delicate situation. Part of him did not care about the material concerns, let it all be damned, he thought. But it wasn't that easy. He had an obligation to the team to maintain stability in the company.

He reached his office and closed the door.

Richard sat within it, as he had requested. He didn't appear concerned or even unfazed. The chair leaned slightly back, his leg was crossed above the knee and he had his elbow on the armrest, with his hand holding up his head. His other hand held his smartphone. He was reading something.

"Ah, Richard, thank you for waiting." He closed the door behind him and took his seat.

"How can I help you?" Richard asked as if nothing had just happened.

John felt like laughing. The audacity was incredible. He wasn't event going to acknowledge he might be in trouble. Richard had a cynical streak, but this was unacceptable.

"You can start by explaining what it was that I saw back there." John's voice was firm and strong.

"Back there? With Anna?" He appeared confused.

"Yes, Richard. Back there, with Anna."

"Oh, the poor girl was coming out of accounting and she tripped. I happened to be passing by and managed to stop her from falling." He said it with such conviction, if John hadn't witnessed the entire scene himself, he might have believed him. "She was very grateful." Then, he went as far as making it her fault. "You know, you might want to tell her to stop wearing such high heeled shoes. The next time, there might not be anyone to catch her."

Anna mentioned that she always carried her voice activated recorder. He hoped, very enthusiastically so, that in this occasion, she had recorded this exchange too, because what he was hearing from Richard was bull. He would have to accept this sorry story as the official account of what happened until they were ready to denounce him.

"Is that so?" John looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you sure there isn't anything else?" He was trying vigorously to come across as a concerned employer, not as the jealous significant other.

"What else could it be?" Richard asked back, feigning offense.

"Are you sure it isn't that you are interested in Ms. Smith and she's rebuffed your advances?" Perhaps it was going a step too far, but, he really wanted to hear Richard's answer. How would he react to hearing the truth?

"Me, interested in her? Hardly. She's a little too pasty for my tastes and has hardly any sex appeal. I mean, have you seen her? She dresses like Angela Merkel. She's not my type of woman, although… I must be her type… You know, I've caught her looking at me before." He became pensive. "Mmmm. Now that I think about it, maybe she tripped on purpose, hoping I would catch her."

If he heard another word, John was sure that he could be arrested for murder. The way he was speaking about Anna made him want to retch and scream. How could somebody he admired, that had so much talent and passion as a professional, be such a rotten human being? He better put an end to that conversation, as he wasn't sure whether he could endure any more slandering. His limit as a prudent man was being greatly tested. If he didn't want to botch this for Anna, he needed to change the subject.

"Fine. We'll say Ms. Smith tripped, if that is what really happened."

Richard smiled gingerly. How smug of him, thought John. He thinks he's won.

"Since we're here," Richard added, "Let's talk about the partnership you promised me." He changed his posture and presence, relaxed from a moment ago, to sit straight and talk louder. "You didn't have time for me last week, and I've let you be this week because you have much going on, but, I won the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account. I won't accept the bonus for it. I want partnership. You promised."

Did he promise? He said he would look into it. John knew he owed the man something for his troubles, but, he didn't want to be bullied into it either.

"Richard. If you will not accept the bonus, then, you are in for a long wait. I tried to reason with Vera about giving you an ownership stake two months ago when you brought it up and she refused. Our partnership is being dissolved, but as of today, she is still part owner. I cannot do anything about it while we are in this legal limbo. When I am the full owner, I will be in a better position to discuss this."

"But, you will give me a partnership percentage?" Ever the salesman, his eyes were piercing and insistent. His confidence was to be admired.

"I cannot even discuss it until all is said and done." John hoped that by then, Richard was out of the company. He needed to defer the issue and gain more time.

"I won't be dissuaded, John. I'll allow two months' time for you to get a better handle of your legal issues…But, at the end of it, I either want a partnership stake, or a signed and legal letter of intent. If not, I walk. "

"Thank you for your consideration." He couldn't have said it more harshly if he had tried. His sarcastic tone was not lost on Richard, but the man did not budge. John wanted him out of there. "I think our conversation is over."

- 0 -

"Remind me why we are still trailing Vera?" Charles was being facetious. Of course he knew. Although the evidence of her affair had already been obtained, the identity of her lover was still a mystery. That, together with the fact that Mr. Bates was willing to continue to pay them to track her movements until the divorce and partnership dissolution were final, meant they were still on the job. Mr. Bates explained he didn't trust her at all. He said he had a feeling she would do something vindictive and he would rather be forewarned. Elsie agreed to it and convinced him because they didn't have another case at the moment and it would do no harm to generate some additional income.

Vera had not been following her routine, but that would be expected as she didn't have a job to go to. Yesterday, on Thursday, she had not gone to the car lot at all. She would not make this easy for them. Since she had stopped going to the office, the only noteworthy excursions were her two visits to the law offices of Sampson and Bullock. She was likely preparing her defense.

"Griping won't make our time in this car any more pleasant. If you're bored, or want some air, pop the hood of the car and pretend we're stranded. You could check all the fluid levels while you're at it."

There was nothing wrong with their car. It worked well. They downgraded their vehicle for today, leaving the van at home. They did not require as elaborate surveillance, just following the GPS signal was necessary. Their "car issues" ploy had always worked in the past and Charles had employed it when he was restless. Not that they had been waiting long. So far, they had followed her to a café in the middle of York, a chic little place, where, as Elsie believed, the coffee, tea, and cakes were probably overpriced. More so than the Costa and Starbucks chains she so vehemently abhorred.

Vera found a spot in front of the store and parked her car. Their vehicle was on the street, on the opposite curb, and they had a good view of the storefront and the customers within. Vera had arrived alone ten minutes ago, had ordered a beverage and sat down. It looked as if she were waiting for someone, speaking into her mobile and looking at her wristwatch. If Elsie were to guess, it was her lover telling her he would be late. At least she hoped. She would never admit it to Charles, but, this case was also starting to bore her.

Charles could be a patient man, but his logic made this continued trailing senseless. Mr. Bates had what he wanted. Thus, while they had only been at the location for less than a quarter hour, Charles felt cooped up and he decided to use the distraction suggested by Elsie.

He turned to his wife with a frown on his forehead and she understood he was agreeing with her. Without any further words, he took a flat cap from the backseat to use as a facial deterrent and minor costume change and placed it on his head. He added a pair of glasses that had no prescription increase, but were held together by a piece of tape in the center. He exited the vehicle and within a few minutes, he was standing forward of the car, staring into the engine. He knew the basics, although he could never call himself a mechanic, and he set about checking the oil and steering fluid, the hydraulic fluid and the water for the wipers. Only the water was dangerously low and he made a mental note to replace it.

All the while he was tinkering with the car, a woman with a pram appeared in front of the café. He had noticed her a moment before as she turned the corner. She was making her way towards the store and that was when he recognized her. Edna. He didn't know what to make of it. Through Anna, he was aware that Vera and Edna had conversations, but they were never social enough to imagine that they were friends. She accused her husband of harassment and then there was the odd business with the Strallan fellow. Could this be a business meeting? He ought to go inside and find out. Even if the beverages were overpriced, he'd buy himself something to justify his presence. Maybe some of the biscotti these little places always had at the counter. Or maybe, the water he needed for the wiper mechanism.

He gestured to Elsie, who had also seen Edna arrive. She lowered the car window.

"I'm going inside. I'll buy something. Do you want anything in particular?"

"From there? I'll never spend my money on such overpriced tea and coffee. No thank you, I have everything I need right here." She gestured at the thermos that sat upright in the car's beverage holder.

"Fine." Charles rolled his eyes as Elsie rolled up the window once more.

He opened the boot of the car to pull out a container for the water and moved towards the store. He entered and noticed that Vera was holding the little tyke on her lap at the same time she was babbling baby words. The baby's excited hands flailed about. This had to be a social meeting between them for Vera to do that. He couldn't imagine that Edna would allow Vera to hold her child if they were at odds with each other, or just acquaintances.

"Can I help you?" asked the perky teen behind the register. There was nobody in the line in front of him, so he was helped quickly.

"Yes, please. I'm having some car issues. I was hoping you might help me and fill this container with water?" He could see Vera hand back the child which Edna promptly placed back into the pram.

"I can only help you if you are a customer of ours."

He thought that was harsh. "What does that mean?"

"It means you need to buy something."

Charles huffed. It couldn't compare, but he wondered if he had walked in bloody and injured, if they would have taken that approach. They were talking too much, he had hoped it would be quieter so he could overhear. He took a pack of biscuits from the counter and handed them forward.

"Will this do?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "Would you like to use the restroom to top that off?" She held out the key.

If he went to the restroom to fill out the container, he would miss out on the conversation. As it was, he could hear Edna talking about Anthony's rudeness and how he had been talking back at her. She wondered the reason for it.

"Could you just fill it with your water?" He pointed towards a water spout.

"Are you sure you want this water? She pointed at the same spigot.

"Yes."

"But it's filtered, oxygen replenished, and it contains a low mineral density to achieve exceptionally tasting tea and coffee. It's not tap water."

In the background, Charles could here Vera talking now. She was assuring Edna that John had something to do with it. He was having a bout of overconfidence lately. She went on to tell Edna about his demanding a divorce.

"That will do," Charles smiled at the girl as he handed over the container. The girl looked confused, but followed his orders.

"A divorce? How dare he?" commented Edna as Charles just lounged at the counter a few feet away. The young lady filled the container and he was happy he had an excuse to be there.

"Oh, don't worry about it. He'll not be happy for long," Vera countered.

"Why? Are you planning something?... Do tell!" Edna was excited.

"Oh, you know me." Vera smirked cheekily, inviting Edna's comments.

"I know, you're such a mastermind." Edna sung Vera's praises, which seemed to be what Vera wanted, as she smiled wide. She was about to answer when the young lady addressed him, distracting his attention from the two malicious women.

"Do you want anything else?" He couldn't hear Vera over the young lady's voice. He took some bottled juice from the refrigerated section beneath the register. He could justify his need to sit down if he drank this in the store. He pushed it forward on the counter.

"How will you manage it?" Edna asked which led Charles to understand he had missing hearing what she intended to do. Buggar. That annoyed him.

"That will be 35 pounds," offered the perky barista.

Did he hear right? He could care less about the conversation now. Thirty five pounds?

"Excuse, me? How much are these items?" He held up the juice and biscotti.

In the background he could here Edna gasp. Something must have caused surprise.

"The biscuits are two pounds and fifty and the juice is two pounds and ninety five."

"Yes, so that's five pounds forty five." Her math was obviously off.

"Correct…. And that's twenty nine pounds and fifty five for the water." Her face was deadpan serious.

"How can water be that expensive?" He wanted to shout, but did not dare bring attention to himself with Vera and Edna in the café. His was an aggressive whisper.

"I told you it was filtered, oxygen replenished and with a low mineral density for optimum coffee and tea taste. It's not tap and it's not free. This is enough water for seven lattes." The teen's cynical answer annoyed Charles. She even huffed, making it sound as if he were a dolt for even asking and not understanding.

"You didn't say it wasn't free," Charles responded in the most passive aggressive tone he could muster as he pulled out his wallet. He didn't have time to discuss this, lest he lose the rest of the conversation. The barista took his credit card, as he had no cash to pay such an amount. Elsie would be livid if she discovered what he'd done.

Vera was cackling now and Edna was amused by something too.

He took his canister, juice and biscotti and sat at the table next to them, with his back against them.

"This has been a most pleasant conversation," Edna exclaimed as she stood, fussing with baby Michael in his pram. "But, I must run. We have a doctor's appointment, don't we darling?" She leant down to kiss her child. She turned to Vera. "You must ring me once it's all done. I'm dying to know how it will all come out."

Vera stood to kiss Edna's cheek. "Oh, I will, love….Sooner than you think."

With that, Edna left and Charles could only bang his head against the table. He had missed it all.

- 0 -

"Hello lovely." She would answer because she had to, even when she saw that it was him who was calling her. What a day, really. She had encompassed a whole gamma of emotions. She went from elation, to anger, to awkwardness. She couldn't recall a days as full of opposites as this one. She sighed. It was Joseph Molesley - sweet, dense and creepy Joe.

"Hello." She hoped her disappointment didn't come through. As much as she cringed every time she needed to talk to him, she wasn't the type of person to make someone else feel bad.

"I have the information you requested and something else that needs discussing. Can you talk?"

Anna had just arrived home, and had opened the door to her cupboard. She was wondering how to pack for a trip when she had no idea where she was going. She was placing her overnight case on her bed when the phone rang. She guessed she could pack and talk. Whatever he had to say was likely relevant for her trip as well.

"Yes, go on." Anna pulled open some drawers to start making selections.

'I've been doing the research you requested." Anna had asked of him so many things lately, that she had no idea what this could be about.

"And?" was all she could think to ask as she pulled out some lingerie. She couldn't take something too sexy, even if she did hope that there was more intimate time between them. This was about his revelations and his past. She couldn't look like she was out to get him. She had to find something coquettish, yet subtle, just in case the mood arose for such activities.

"I can't really tell where that tweet came from. I tried hacking into the account, but the sender is too smart." Ah. So this was about the tweet. She'd hoped he could crack the mystery. It really did vex her to not know anything about its origin or intent. "The user has a strong password that my code breaking algorithm cannot decipher just yet."

"How so?" Joe was a master. If he couldn't crack something, nobody else could. She put two pairs of matching bras and knickers in her bag, even when it was only one night that they would be away. Just in case, she thought. She wouldn't go for too much color. She had sensible white with a wisp of lace and a demure and cute light pink that wasn't too adorned, but was low cut.

"I'm impressed really. My algorithm manages to plot the first three letters of the password. This took about 8 hours, but then the algorithm stops. When I run the algorithm again, the first letters are different. It's as if the user changes the password every day. It's odd and infuriating. It's never happened to me before."

Joe seemed stressed and she wanted to be sensitive, but she couldn't figure out why he wanted the password. She would rather have a location. "Do we really need to hack the account? Can you not track the IP address for a general location?"

Choosing her pajama was next. The same rationale applied. She hoped they were able to share a bed. She couldn't take anything too revealing, but she wanted to come across as sexy. She didn't know where they were going and that made the selection a challenge. If it was hot, she didn't want to take anything too covered and if they were going somewhere cool, a short and tank top set might not be warm enough. She would have to take two options if she could. There was no way around it. She sifted through the pile of old t-shirts and sweatpants, searching for the best choices as Joe struggled to answer her question.

He huffed in exasperation. He often did that when he had to explain something too technical. "To find out who they are, I need to hack the account so that I can download tracking software onto their mobile or computer, whatever they are using to send the tweet. I cannot get an IP address unless I succeed at getting in." It all made sense to Anna now. "But don't worry, I'll keep trying. I may have to fiddle with my algorithm to make it work faster, but I will get in and get the information."

Joe continued talking. "Next, I have an update on the Strallan investigation." Anna was pleased to hear this. She really did want to help Anthony. More so, after Pops had texted her to explain that he had seen Vera and Edna having a chat at a local café. Those two were up to something for sure.

She sighed internally as she determined she didn't have any male-company worthy pajamas. If she'd had more advanced warning, she would have purchased some. The ones she owned were too old or too embarrassing. John Bates did not need to see her penchant for wearing Hello Kitty and other cute baby mammals all over her night clothing. She needed something more adult. She'd have to raid Mary's pajama drawer, regardless of the wrath she would later face.

Next, she looked for outfits to wear.

"We definitely need a DNA test, but, I've hacked the National Health Service database and found the medical records for Anthony Strallan, Edna Braithwaite, Michael Phillips and Niall Phillips."

"What did you find?" She asked as she pulled two light jumpers and a pair of jeans into her case.

"The baby couldn't possibly be Strallan's. I've looked at their three blood types and this baby is an AB blood type when Anthony is an A."

Anna stopped what she was doing to understand better.

"Are you positive?" Anna was excited, but before she started to celebrate, they needed more clarification.

"We need the DNA test to make it legal, and I am no geneticist, but if you google it, you'll find Blood Type Calculators. Before the dawn of DNA, this is how paternity was determined. It still used in some cases." He paused and the ruffling of papers could be heard in the background. "So this is how it works…Anthony is blood type A and Edna is blood type A. According to the calculator, a child of A-A parents can only be another A or O. In this case, Michael is AB. Since Edna is definitely his mother and she is an A, then Anthony cannot be the father. Niall has B type blood. Parents with A and B, can produce an AB blood type child. I say, Niall is the father, not Anthony."

Anna was very delighted. She even stopped her packing for a moment to fully digest the news.

"You're a genius, Joe." He chortled out loud, snorting in the process and Anna cringed again. He was a genius and a real character, and was obviously excited to get praise from her. She couldn't avoid it though, no matter her discomfort. He deserved the recognition.

"You'll have to figure out how to get a lock of the child's hair to do the actual DNA test, but at least you can take on the challenge knowing what the result will be." Joe sounded very proud of himself.

Mr. Bates would be so pleased. She couldn't wait to tell him tomorrow.

"Is that it, Joe?" She was trying to be pleasant, he was, after all, working while she should, but she still needed to finish packing. She was also exhausted. She had barely slept last night and she should get a better rest this evening, especially given what her weekend would be like.

She had already added another pair of casual paints and some dressy slacks, in case they went out. She had added some sports shorts and a sports top, plus two cute tops – one for the day and one for the dressy slacks. She finished by adding a sun dress. It seemed like a lot of clothing to her, but she needed to be ready for anything.

"No, there is one other troubling piece of information I encountered." His tone of voice changed and he hesitated to continue.

She looked at her shoe collection.

"What's troubling?"

She tossed some sandals, her tennis shoes, some black dressy heels and some casual flats into her bag.

"Remember how we had looked at all of the Bates' accounts, both personal and company?"

"Yes, I remember." Anna was looking at accessories now. She wondered if she should take a hat, or scarves?... definitely her glasses and a belt for the pants. She added those to her bag.

"I looked at them again this week and I find something odd. There's money missing."

Anna stopped again. This caught her attention.

"What do you mean there's money missing? Whose account are you talking about?"

"It's from the main company account. Usually, there is a monthly disbursement from the company account into Mr. Bates' main account and Mrs. Bates' main account. That is their monthly allotment, or their revenue gain. That is fine. There are also several disbursements to vendors, the leasing of the helicopters, payroll, etc. Those payments usually come with notes and descriptions when a payment is issued. There are several payments, though, that have no notes. They are usually small and not referenced anywhere. There was a rather large disbursement of this type, though, just yesterday evening. I thought you should know about it."

"Where are they going?...those odd disbursements?"

"They are going to a Swiss account under the name of John Bates. I don't know if it is important, but, I just thought I would mention it. It's odd, but maybe not illegal."

"Thanks Joe. Have a good evening."

"Alright. Good night, love. Sweet dreams."

When Joe signed off from their conversations, she finished packing immediately. By adding her cosmetics, hair supplies and toiletries, her case was full. Quickly, she went to Mary's room, taking advantage that she wasn't home yet. She found what she was looking for, a two piece silver grey silk short and top that was elegant, and playful. It had some sheer panels right above the breast plate. It had pearl buttons down the front, but was shapely. This would do. She put it into her bag and zipped it up.

She was ready, but she had a heavy heart. She didn't know what that data meant or if it had any relevance at all to the case. She hoped it was nothing and that there was a reasonable explanation for it. She was set to learn all of his secrets tomorrow and she hoped that the mystery of the diverted funds was part of it.

Before she could actually settle down for the night, she looked at the latest warning Mr. Bates had received. He had slipped it to her this morning, after they'd shared their cuddles in the crew lounge. She was still confused by it all. Why would he continue to get warnings if he'd already announced his divorce in the office? Who could be doing this? There weren't too many people that had his best interest at heart at the compound. If somebody had any issues, she wished they'd just come out and tell him. If somebody knew something, why were they keeping the information to themselves? It didn't make sense. She compared this note to the first one. The font and size were the same, even when the words were not. While the first note had striations from a faulty printer cartridge, the second note was intact.

She put the papers in the manila folder where she kept all her notes. There was so much she had to do, and yet, no specific tasks to complete, as she didn't know what she was looking for. She leafed through some of Vera's documents and nothing stood out except her investments. Maybe she should ask Joe to verify if Mr. Bates had the same ones….or, she could ask him herself tomorrow. That would be better.

A yawn escaped her, followed by her eyes that insisted they should close. It was no use to concentrate. Not tonight, not after the last twenty four hours and not when she was less than twelve hours from seeing him again. She could postpone looking at her files for the next two days, she decided, and made herself comfortable in her bed. She was looking forward to the blissful rest and the next two days with him. Just as she turned off the lights, her phone beeped with another notification. She rushed to see if it was from him, maybe with another adorable tweet. It wasn't, much to her disappointment. It was from incognitohelper, once again.

** EYEINTHESKY - ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND, BUT DO NOT DESIST. THE TIME TO PROVE YOUR WORTH IS NEAR. #heedmywarning**

How would she get any rest now? What was that supposed to mean? She prayed that Joe would figure out who it could be. Why was this happening to her?

- 0 -

"That's a new look I haven't seen before." Robert observed John as he situated himself at the bar. "You seem much freer, and there's a look about you."

"I filed for divorce and the dissolution of the partnership." John was beaming, but it was not just about those two things.

"Bravo! That deserves a toast, something special." Robert pulled a bottle of his finest Irish whisky and poured himself a glass. "What'll it be for you?" He was genuinely pleased for his friend after years of listening to the most frightful stories.

"I'll have the usual." John had learned to live off of alcohol. It wasn't worth it in his mind to go back to his old habits.

"Not even once, John? This warrants celebrating."

"Not even once Rob. I'll not celebrate the end of my misery with the device that started it all." John looked very secure.

"Good boy. We can make the usual extra special." Wordlessly, he poured the diet coke into a champaign flute and added an extra lemon. "There, that is toast worthy now."

Robert then took the posture of a bard, ready to commence a declamation. He even lifted his arm into the air. "To my friend, John. May this be the start of a new and different life and a much better future."

They clinked their glasses and drank up. When they set the glasses down, John continued to stare at his friend. He wondered if he should talk about Anna. Men weren't supposed to kiss and tell, but he was just so happy, he needed to share his joy with somebody or he might burst. Surely it was allowed under these circumstances?

Robert figured that he hadn't heard the whole story when he saw John with an unexplainable anxiety.

"There is something else, isn't there? I can't read that look."

"I slept with Anna." A slow smile crept up and his eyes sparkled.

"…..and that would be the look." Robert tilted his head, contemplating his friend as he formulated his next thought. "Was that wise, John? Couldn't you have waited until all of this was over?"

"No, it wasn't wise, I'll grant you that. But…. It was sublime. For the first time in years, I felt alive….and capable of emotions I didn't remember existed. She's exquisite; all of her and you know what? I don't regret it."

"What about Vera? Are you not afraid of what could happen if she finds out?"

"A part of me will always be afraid of her. When Callum died, she lost so much of her logic and sense. It seemed to die with him. I can't live my life, though, under the shadow of her evil. It is time to move forward. Anna has agreed to keep our relationship discreet until the divorce is final. I doubt Vera will find out as we will be very careful."

"Well, I am pleased to see you happy for a change and I wish you luck with this." Robert appeared happy, but he was holding back his thoughts.

"We are going away this weekend. I am taking her flying." Robert looked at him inquisitively. "I'm telling her about what happened in Mostar - about Callum."

"Isn't it a bit soon?" Robert looked unsure and worried. He wasn't holding back his thoughts now.

"She's a private investigator and I don't want her to find out on her own." John looked away, contemplating his thoughts. "She knew about Edna and what happened in the court. I won't risk her finding about the rest of it, without me telling her first." He looked very determined and sure of himself.

"Blimey. She must be very important to you. I thought you might just be having fun." Robert flailed his hands for emphasis. "Are you sure? You've not gotten out of one relationship and you are already starting another."

"I'm sure Robert. I don't know what it is about her, but, she makes me very happy. I don't want to mess this up."

- 0 -

**A/N: Next chapter will see Anna and Bates set off on an adventure and we will find out about his many secrets! What does Vera have in store for John? Will Richard be contained? Stay tuned for these answers in the coming chapters. **

**Thank you to all the lovely readers, followers and reviewers. I appreciate all of you. I wouldn't be writing this story if it wasn't for you. **


	14. Dark Skies of Galloway

**This is an all Banna chapter! It couldn't be anything else if they are off on an adventure. Word count is 13.4K. There is a lot of dialogue, as John has much to explain, so, I hope that it reads well for all of you. We finally reveal some secrets…There's M content also, although I really struggle to make my descriptions sound both adult and non-technical. Writing M doesn't come easy to me, so, I am wearing the bag over my head and sitting in a corner. **

**I haven't thanked my beta, Cherry88 in a while. She is great! She calms my nerves with her insight before every chapter is posted and has given great feedback that has prompted me to make changes in the past. Dank je!**

**To last night's guest reviewer – your wish is my command!**

* * *

><p>Anna looked at the street sign one more time, before turning. This was Well, North Yorkshire, where he would be picking her up. She always thought it was a funny name for a town and she had passed by several times in the past. There was never an occasion to turn down the road that led to it and now, here she was. At a mere 20 minutes from her home, it was rather convenient too. She had instructions to find Mrs. Drake's farm, the last on Phlashetts Lane and to park her car there, wherever she was told to, then to wait until he landed behind the house.<p>

As if on cue, the lane was ending and she could see the quaintest little cottage on the right. A small sign on the mailbox had the correct name, Drake, and she turned into the small lot. She chose to stop on the brick lane, until she could get alternate instructions. By the time she had completely parked, a stout and friendly looking woman came to greet her. She stepped out as the woman arrived.

"Are you John's friend?" She asked, as she smiled.

"Yes. Anna Smith." She offered her hand. "So nice to meet you, Mrs…." She hesitated for a moment and the friendly lady completed the statement.

"Drake." She took Anna's hand and sized her up discreetly. "…but you can call me Patricia." She gestured towards her car. "That's a perfect place for it. You can leave your car there, darling. I can assure you it will be safe all weekend. Nobody really drives down this way and I let Jethro loose at night."

Anna didn't think anybody would be interested in her old jalopy. Since Mr. Bates had it towed to the compound and Tom had William had taken a look at it, it was driving better than ever, but it was far from new. Still, it was nice to know that it would be here when they returned.

"John said 10am, so he should be here soon. Why don't you come on thru? I have a pot of tea ready. We can sit on the back terrace and have a cup as we wait for John's grand entrance."

Mrs. Drake was making her feel very welcome and she appreciated it. She was really very nervous, although she oughtn't to be. She couldn't put it out of her mind that she was being picked up for a date in a helicopter, even if this was Mr. Bates. Before this, the fanciest ride a date of hers ever owned was a BMW. This was very different. Anna took her case and handbag from her car and followed the woman into her home and all the way to the back where a small terrace overlooked several large fields. She could see many cows at a distance and a large, industrial looking barn. The fields were empty, probably grazing grounds and she guessed this would be where Mr. Bates would land. The view was perfect and she was happy she wouldn't miss it.

She sat down as instructed.

"When John called me yesterday, to ask this favor, I was only very glad to help. He's such a nice lad. I don't mind at all letting him land here to fetch you. I owe him so much more."

The nice lady was intent on making conversation and Anna didn't mind. She loved to find out more about him, especially after the negative things Vera had said. It didn't hurt hearing pleasant things from other people.

The lady poured two cups and continued. "Did he tell you how we met?"

Anna graciously accepted the cup and nodded negatively, "No." She took a sip and immediately started to feel the calming effects of the tea. This is exactly what she needed.

"I have a heifer, Marjory, who is a little wayward. Past those trees, you can't really see it from here, there is a ravine and she's gotten caught in it twice, with no way to push her out. The first time it happened, my husband, also called John, suggested a helicopter might carry her out. I thought it was a crazy idea, but, I called Bates Airlift when I discovered they were local and just up at Elvington. The lady who answered thought I was crazy, but took my information."

Anna imagined it must have been Sarah and she could clearly believe that Sarah might have been rude. As Mrs. Drake continued her story, she felt the slightest vibration. She couldn't see him, but that must be Mr. Bates making his way to her.

"I was thrilled to get a call back from John and he drove out here personally, and immediately, to see Marjory and together with my John, to assess the situation." The pot, saucers, and cups, began to rattle as the noise increased. She finally caught a glimpse of Maggie in the horizon.

"Oh there he is." Mrs. Drake also acknowledged his impending arrival. Anna's heart was beating faster. "Just like the first time. He hovered beyond the trees while my John fastened the harness that came under Marjory to the helicopters tracks and pulled her out in two minutes, setting her on the ground several feet away. My husband was able to release the harness and John landed safely there, where he's landing now."

Mr. Bates was setting down the bird and she couldn't even take another sip of her tea because of her excitement. She tried to contain it, not wanting to be a source of amusement to their host or Mr. Bates himself.

She could barely hear her host now, the loudness of the rotors invading the peace and quiet of the countryside, but she did make out Mrs. Drake's last comment. "You know, he wouldn't take payment but for some homemade cheese, a cup of tea and some biscuits. He said we're neighbors and neighbors are supposed to help. He's a generous man and I am more than happy to do anything for him, whatever it may be."

When the rotors stopped spinning and she could finally hear herself think, Anna reflected on what she had just heard. He hadn't charged them, and apparently, it had happened twice. Her day was already starting out brilliantly. She already knew he was generous, the Make a Wish project had taught her that, but this was lovely too.

Just then, he jumped from the helicopter and made his way towards them. Anna swooned internally when she saw him wearing the outfit that she had met him in. He was wearing jeans, a white polo, brown loafers and a brown aviator jacket. His black sunglasses gave him a mysterious air. Anna could tell her host swooned too. They were both stood on the terrace, with their mouths open, admiring him as he came forward.

"Hello to the most beautiful looking ladies in Yorkshire," he greeted them and they both smiled bashfully. Anna hadn't seen the flirty version of John Bates. He was adorable and he took off his glasses to see them properly. "Patricia, thank you so much." He leaned down to kiss the owner's cheek and Anna could see her blush. She was glad to know she wasn't the only one affected by his charisma.

"Nonsense. You know you can count on us." If Mr. Drake had been around, he might have been jealous, as his wife was gazing at Mr. Bates like a teenager would her idol.

He turned towards Anna and her insides melted. Mr. Bates looked younger, happier even, than all the other times she had been with him. He leaned in and kissed her chastely on the cheek. She wanted so desperately to catch his lips with hers, but, it wasn't right, not when they weren't alone. He remained in that position for seconds, his lips to her cheek and a thrill ran down her body. His hot breath would drive her mad if he didn't pull away. He did, slowly.

"Are you ready, Anna?" He asked and all she could do was nod.

* * *

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"Kiss me. I can't wait another minute," John exclaimed excitedly after he had helped her up into the front seat. She was just as desperate and reached down to his lips, not waiting another instant. They still had an audience, at a distance, so they contained their zeal. His lips were warm and loving, and exactly what she needed to set their adventure on the right track.

"Was that alright?" she asked bashfully, as she pulled back.

"That was perfect, love." His eyes twinkled as he let out a breath.

He then took her case and put it behind her seat. "What do you have in here?" he asked as he feigned duress. "It's a bit heavy for two days."

Anna laughed at John's bemused face. "You didn't tell me where we were going or what we were doing. I had to bring more than one thing, in preparation for anything, so sorry, if it's not as light as you'd like."

John's eyes crinkled in amusement and Anna was tempted to get off the aircraft and repeat what they'd done only two days ago, wiping the smirk off his face. He was just so handsome. She would have liked to at least give him another kiss, but she was sure Mrs. Drake was watching them from her house. She'd behave, if only until they were out of sight.

He closed the door on her and made it to his side, taking his seat quickly. He checked his gauges, monitors and their seat belts. He handed her a pair of protective headphones to minimize the decibel impact of the rotors and for them to communicate. "If you wear this, we'll communicate better."

She put them on appreciatively.

"Any questions before we take off?" He docked his head to one side, amused with himself. He was obviously enjoying the fact that she had no idea where they were going.

She would ask anyway. "Yes, you can start by finally telling me where we're headed? Or at least how long it will take us to get there?" She put her hands on her hips, her petiteness allowing it even in the limited space and her eyes playfully demanded a bit of information. Not knowing was exciting, building up the suspense inside her.

He took her arm by the elbow closest to him and extended it completely, outlining the skin of her wrist and palm with his fingers. It produced another jolt of electricity within her and she flushed completely. If it was a ploy to distract her from getting an answer, it was working. She could suddenly care less where they were bound, as she concentrated on the feel of his skin on hers. He kissed her palm reverently. He looked as if he were lost in her too, forgetting what it was that she had asked.

A few seconds later, he realized he owed her an answer. Still with her hand in his¸ he brought it up to his cheek and answered.

"It's not the Seychelles, or a lodge in St. Moritz, or anywhere else fancy. I hope you don't mind. It's just a little place close to mountains where you'll understand a little more about me. We're flying to Dumfries, Scotland, but that is not our final destination. It shall take us just about two hours of flying and another half hour on the road to Balmaclellan, so, sit back, relax and enjoy the sites."

With that, he turned back to the controls, started the rotors and they were off. This was her first time in Maggie and you could tell it was a personal aircraft. It was smaller, and thus less stable, moving around a bit more, and a bit noisier than Ava and Marilyn, the other helicopters she'd flown in. A scan of the interior revealed some good-sense staples like a medicine box, life jackets, an extinguisher and a cooler which she assumed had snacks and drinks. There was a fold down seat, affixed to the back wall that could accommodate a third person, tightly, between them. She couldn't imagine that it was very comfortable and if it were down, the cooler, currently occupying its space, would not fit. He had other surprising comforts too. There was a blanket and a pillow. Anna could not understand why he would have these unless he did random camping. A smile crept up her face when she theorized that maybe he intended for them to be used in the near future. She tingled inside at such a thought. The cabin's interior had stickers from different restaurants and tourist attractions from all over the UK stuck to the fiberglass walls. It made the décor interesting, if a little busy. The most significant thing she saw was a picture of a much younger version of him, hugging an older lady. They shared the same cheekbones and hazel eyes. Her hair was already white. What struck her about the picture was the look of devotion that the woman had for him. It was unwavering love and could be nobody else but his mother.

"Is this Maggie?" she ventured to ask as she pointed to the picture before her.

"Yes," was his short but truthful answer. She turned away and smiled, pleased that she could at least take credit for solving one riddle from his life.

They didn't speak of anything important while they were in the air. He commented about the places they were flying over, pointing out interesting sites in the rolling fields and valleys of the Yorkshire Dales. It was a magical site to behold; the little villages and farms that dotted the landscape and their herds of cows and sheep that abounded. If it weren't for the cars they occasionally spotted on the roads below, Anna would have thought she had gone back in time. All the little villages retained their charm. John seemed to be avoiding big cities on purpose, and that made the sites below more delightful to enjoy. He even hovered a few seconds over a beautiful waterfall so she could see it. He said it was the Cautley Spout. It wasn't too large, but it was lovely. His route also included flying over the ruins of Middleham and Brough Castles. Both were similar - a few stone walls standing erect amid piles of stone and crumbling facades, surrounded by fields of green. They passed over a manor home, Appleby Castle, and it was large, but could not compare to the grandeur of Highclere. At one point, they were flying on the coast and then temporarily over the water.

Soon enough, John pointed ahead and announced that they were arriving at their destination.

* * *

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"Anna, this is Daphne Bryant, a friend of mine." Anna shook hands with the woman. "Daphne, this is Anna Smith."

No sooner than they landed on the remote side of the Dumfries airstrip, an unassuming car, with the woman she now knew to be Daphne, pulled up alongside. John and Daphne hugged and she speculated what their connection was and why she was there to pick them up. Perhaps a distant relation? She wondered if Daphne knew who she was and was judging her. It produced some anxiety. John wasn't divorced yet and anybody who knew of Vera would call her the other woman. While technically true, she, herself had spent many hours convincing herself that this was not wrong and questioning looks from anybody could set her back. The concern faded when Daphne looked at her warmly.

"Welcome to Galloway Forest Park in Southwest Scotland," she added most sincerely. "I hope you enjoy your time here." There wasn't any evidence of deception in her tone or look and Anna relaxed completely.

"We'll be staying in a little cabin on Daphne's property," John offered, as Daphne opened the boot of the car to store their bags. "It's quite lovely. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will." She didn't care if it was an inn on a highway or a desolate moor, as long as they were together, she would love it.

He took her hand and led her to the car, letting her sit in the front to get a better view. Within minutes, they had parted from the airstrip, leaving Maggie alone and locked up. Houses occasionally lined the road, and some stores, but there was not a lot of urbanization in the direction they were driving. A few quaint inns dotted the landscape and she saw several signs advertising for "Dark Skies Tours." That intrigued her, but she didn't ask. It was very quiet. The flora was forest-like, confirming what Daphne had said. Large trees such as pines, junipers, oaks and yews abounded as far as the eye could see. They'd only passed two other cars on the highway they were on, which was good. If it was as remote as it seemed, both of them could relax without the nervousness of being found together.

When she least expected it, Daphne drove onto a rural road, which she kept on for a few feet and finally stopped when a lot with many small houses became visible. She turned off the engine and they all descended from the vehicle. Anna was still not sure what type of adventure she was in for.

"Welcome to Bryant Landing." She turned to Anna. "I'll be leaving you now. If you need anything at all, you can find me here." She pointed to the first house that was visible, slightly larger than the rest, and then turned to John. "You know the way, so, I'll take my leave. You'll want to show Anna around on your own. The refrigerator is stocked too, but if you need anything, you know where to find me and the keys to the car." They exchanged kisses and in an instant, she was gone.

"What is this Mr. Bates?" She asked curiously. "Is this like a vacation lodge?" She bent down to pick up her bag, but John brushed her away, taking hold of it himself. "Not precisely. It's a shelter for abused, exploited and vulnerable women."

* * *

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He was sure she had a million questions. The look on her face when he explained where they were was priceless, but to her credit, she said nothing, maintaining her quiet curiosity within herself and giving him space to share at his own pace. He didn't intend to keep it from her, not for long – just until they had deposited their things in the cabin and could take a walk in the surrounding area. It would be nicer that way; better than standing at the entrance with their bags around them.

It was a short walk to their cabin, through a narrow mountain trail. It was the farthest away from the entrance, not really visible from where they'd left the car and it was bordered in the back by a stream of clear running water. Through his work with Daphne, he came here often and she usually let him stay as long as he wanted. He'd escaped Vera's antagonism here, in the last few years, and it brought him much peace.

"It's so calm," exclaimed Anna as he set their bags down in front of the door.

John was pleased to hear her say that, but he still worried she might have been expecting something more grand. He took her arm and tugged at it, wanting to hold her close. She came willingly and wrapped her arms around him. This was the first moment of alone time that they could share and it felt wonderful to hold her.

"Do you like it?" He asked bashfully. "Are you not put off by where we are?"

"Of course I am not put off. What I've seen so far is lovely." Anna noticed he was second guessing his decision to come here. On impulse, she closed the gap between them and gave him a quick peck. "Don't worry about me, Mr. Bates. I'm quite happy." She wanted to add, "Anywhere you are", but there were still some things that might be off limits in their budding relationship. She smiled for him instead.

The grin on her face made John believe she was telling the truth. There was nothing but pure light radiating from her face. If it had been dark, she would have illuminated the forest. He brought his hand up to cup her face and brought her in for another kiss. She was marvelous and her mouth was a source of comfort for him. He held her reverently as they continued to kiss. They pulled apart and she put her head on his shoulder. It was too early to escalate things and he had a lot to tell her.

"How about I show you inside, then we take a walk in the woods? The stream behind the cabin is a sight to see and we can take a small picnic with us."

'I'd love it," she responded. They separated and she walked inside when he held the door open for her. The decoration was minimal, but the cabin was inviting. There was a bed against a wall, a desk, a tiny dining area and a miniature kitchen. It reminded her of her and Mary's apartment at university. This version, though, with a little bit more space and rustic décor. The central decoration to the room was a mock fireplace. It was electric, she could tell, as she had a similar model at her flat, but it made the space look homey.

John put their bags on the bed and hoped Anna would not be offended that there was only one in the room. He did not want to imply anything by it; this was just the typical décor and set up of the cabins.

He decided to broach the issue directly, as he did not want any misunderstandings.

"Anna, there is only one bed in the room, but there are plenty of linens and space for us to sleep separately. I can make up a bed on the floor."

_Separately? Over her dead body._ "Let's not worry about that just yet," she answered and sauntered close to where he was standing. "We'll just see where the day takes us." She reached up on her toes to catch his lips again and gave him a deep kiss, letting him know that it wasn't really a problem. A moment later, she pulled away and smiled cheekily at him, hoping that he had understood. Judging by the grin that erupted on his own face, he did.

When their bags were put away, food items from the well-stocked kitchen sourced, a blanket for the ground found and appropriate shoes donned, they took a walk outside, behind the cabin, and came upon the stream that had been mentioned. A ten minute walk along the edge, they discovered a lovely patch of land ideal for a blanket. Anna spread it out and sat down, waiting for Mr. Bates to join her. She had not noticed until now how difficult it was for him to kneel and sit. It took some calculated effort. Not enough to cause concern, but just enough for it to be noticed. She hoped that as part of their excursions this weekend, he would share about that part of himself.

"I'll not keep you in suspense much longer," he said as he bit into the simple sandwich of ham and cheese that he had made.

"I am rather curious, but do take your time." She said as she sat on her haunches, searching for napkins inside the basket. "Don't feel like you have to share everything at once. I'm in no hurry."

He reached out to kiss her and she met him half way. She was so beautiful and patient, but he wouldn't keep her waiting.

"I met Daphne six years ago at a transportation convention in London. I had a stand, much like the one you worked in at the Oil and Gas Summit. I didn't have Richard yet, so, I was by myself. She approached me and when she discovered I was the owner, she asked me to help her organization. Of course I intended to write her a check, but that is not what she wanted." He hesitated for a moment, and then changed the course of the conversation. "The little cluster of houses you saw, there's 20, in case you didn't count….. They each house a woman who has been exploited, or abused. I don't know all their stories, but I know that for them to be here, they were in a really bad place. Daphne and a small team of people who live in the village that is down the road, they treat them psychologically and medically until they feel comfortable facing the outside world again. She tries to build their confidence."

"That's so admirable," Anna exclaimed as she felt her throat constrict. Some people in this world were just amazing. She was trying to not become too emotional. Stories of perseverance and good people helping in the world usually made her sensitive. She often thought she should do more herself.

"Many of these women feel that they are worthless. They've heard it so many times from their abusers that they don't think they are able to make it on their own. They are counseled and as part of their stay here, they are taught a skill, depending on their level of education. They take online classes at the media center. If they are educated, because some women who end up here are, they teach the other women until they are ready to leave. With a skill, they stand a better chance of improving their lives."

Anna thought that Daphne's work was impressive, but she still didn't understand what Mr. Bates' role was if it wasn't monetary. "If she didn't want your money, what was it that she did want? What is it that you do for her?"

John hesitated for a moment. He had to tell Anna, but he didn't want to come off as a hero. Others did far more impressive things than he did.

"I'm the man they call in the middle of the night when a woman needs to be extricated from her situation immediately. I've made myself available 24 hours a day to fly anywhere and pick up these women to bring them here." He noticed as Anna's jaw dropped in amazement. "Daphne is affiliated to Women's Aid, the UK organization that helps battered and abused women. Some cases are more extreme, and the abusers more vindictive. Some can be helped at home; some often have children and a more extensive family network to support them. Some don't, or are considered more vulnerable. Those more extreme cases are the ones that get referred to Daphne and she takes everybody she can."

Something clicked in Anna's head. Vera's accusations of Mr. Bates' absences in the middle of the night must be those times he was executing these rescues. He was performing the work of an angel, literally and figuratively, rescuing women and ferrying them to safety.

His revelation brought a surge of emotion within her and she would fail at holding back. Tears accumulated in her eyes and a few escaped down her cheeks. She wanted to hug him and eschewing convention, she lunged at him, embracing him fully.

"I never, in a million years, expected to hear a story such as this. You are amazing, you know that?" She looked him in the eyes and she saw his rejection of her praise. He didn't want to take any credit for his part in this.

"I'm a deeply flawed man, Anna. I have a lot of penance to do for my sins, but this, I am doing in my mother's name, to pay it forward." His hand came up to rub away the wetness from her cheeks, but he would look away, ashamed at her praise.

Anna pulled away, wondering what he meant by his last words.

"Paying it forward?" she asked quietly.

"I must have been about four years old when my mother ran away from my father. I remember all of the yelling and her crying. He drank too much and hurt her physically, often. Then one day, I was put in the back of a car, in the middle of the night. I was lying down. They expected me to be asleep, but I could hear my mum crying and there was a man in the car, but there was no yelling. It wasn't my father. I was scared, very scared. I could see out the back window and I focused on the sky and the stars for as long as I could until I fell asleep. When I awoke, we were in London and we had nothing. We had left Dublin, under the cover of the night, helped by a priest and the nuns of St. Agatha's."

Anna was sure that by the end of the evening, she would have no more tears left. The image of a very terrified Mrs. Bates, carrying around a small child in such a big city, came to her mind and it provoked a sob.

"I do this in her memory. Whoever this man was that escorted us all the way to London, even accompanying us on the ferry, gave my mother and I another chance at life. Mum's been gone for seven years now, a cancer took her, and she never got to see me doing this for her."

"She'd be so proud." Anna could only imagine what his mother would say. She knew she would be proud if a son of hers did what he did.

"I failed her in many ways, but that is a different story." He had a reserved smile on his face, the one she absolutely loved.

"Who pays for all of this? Do you provide any monetary support at all?" Anna wondered how a place like this could be funded.

"Daphne, a middle class professional woman, married into wealth and the aristocracy. Her husband was a verbally abusive bully, sired by a long line of men who thought that it was their duty to rule with an iron fist. His money and power fueled his sense of entitlement. Fed up, Daphne left him, with her son in tow, and her husband realized the error of his ways soon after. He sought support and counseling and was turning his life around. To show her that he understood how wrong he was, he created a foundation and set up an endowment so that he could sponsor a center such as this and so that it could pay for itself. He never saw the result of his work, dying from an unfortunate heart attack soon after. The land was purchased from the endowment, so Daphne owns it herself. She has some funds, but cannot run it completely without some help. Apparently, she has royal backing, but she won't say what member of the royal family sponsors her."

Anna grew quiet. She looked like she wanted to ask a question and wouldn't dare.

"What is it, Anna?" He laced his fingers with hers. "I'm an open book today. You can ask me anything."

"I take it Vera doesn't know?" It was most definitely a question, but her inflection was off, coming out as a statement.

"No, she is not aware. By the time Daphne approached me, we were living separately, although under the same roof. I do this with Maggie, my personal helicopter, not with company assets. She didn't need to know and I didn't trust her to keep this a secret, more than anything else. I couldn't take the risk."

"Is this a secret, then? What you do here?...I mean, wouldn't you want people to know that you are involved? Wouldn't it be good for business for you to be seen involved in charitable causes?"

"These women's livelihoods are at stake. Daphne seeks positions for them, far away from their prior lives, making them self-sufficient and able to fully function again. Some of their aggressors are still out there, having never seen a day of justice in their lives. I cannot risk any of them being found out and victimized again because of careless conversations, or a need for false gratification. You will not see this place in any directories and you will not see any of the people who work or volunteer for Daphne, clamoring for attention. So, to answer your question…. It is a secret."

"Why tell me, Mr. Bates? Am I not a risk too?" Anna was both honored to know and mortified of the new responsibility for secrecy that this knowledge gave her.

"I made the decision to tell you, because, in your line of work, you manage a vast amount of sensitive information and you are bound to not divulge it. Am I right?"

Anna nodded.

"I know that it's not like lawyer-client privilege, doctor-patient conversations, or even priest-sinner confessions, but I believe you uphold an ethical code. I'm taking my chance, and Daphne trusts me, because I believe you to be moral and I think you understand what is right, and more importantly, my heart told me not to keep this from you."

"You're fabulous, you know that?" Anna leaned forward and kissed him.

* * *

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Anna couldn't imagine that spending time with Mr. Bates, so leisurely, would be this comfortable. After his first revelation, things between them became easier. The initial awkwardness of not understanding how they were supposed to coexist faded away. There were no more doubts. They sat and laid on the blanket for a while, taking in the sunlight. At one point, he pulled some wild flowers from nearby and wove them into her hair, stating she looked like a forest fairy. They shared sweet kisses too.

After their picnic, they walked through the woods hand in hand, Mr. Bates pointing out trees, birds, scenery and anything of interest. They stopped to kiss and cuddle on many occasions, talking about their favorite colors, discussing the tastiest ice cream treats, most tantalizing books ever read, and triviality in general that all couples know about each other. They had similar interests in the types of movies they watched and novels they read, dissenting only in the football teams each supported. Anna was disconcerted to discover that Mr. Bates was a fan of Manchester United while she was a fan of Leeds. They laughed as each defended their squad. At one point, they ran into a group of two women who were taking a stroll and Anna watched with enthusiasm as he was recognized and greeted by the thankful women. They came and hugged him effusively, then were off again.

"Do you transport them back whenever they are ready to move on?" she dared ask, with curiosity, after they were no longer in the vicinity.

"Not usually, no," he answered. "Their extrication is fraught with tension and they are often too emotional during the journey. Afterwards, they often remember that day with terror and that includes the helicopter ride. I've offered, but in five years, I've had no takers."

All she could do was hug him again. She really did think that what he was doing was admirable. As the day progressed, Anna knew that there was still much for Mr. Bates to share with her, but she did not want to push him.

That afternoon had Mr. Bates borrowing Daphne's car to take her to dinner in a local pub a few kilometers down the main road. The "Star Struck" had some local favorites, and Anna tried everything that Mr. Bates suggested enthusiastically. She was a firm believer of the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans," and her parents had taught her to try being gastronomically adventurous. Perhaps they ordered too much, Mr. Bates wanting her to try everything he thought was good. They had bridies which was a local meat pie, haggis with tatties and neeps, and for pudding, he ordered a clootie dumpling which Anna enjoyed best.

"Mr. Bates, what are the dark skies about? I saw it on many signs as we were coming here." Towards the end of their dinner, there was some nervousness. The night had come and they hadn't discussed anything regarding their sleeping arrangements. Rather than dwell on it further, since it would come soon enough, she decided instead to quell her curiosity.

"That, love, is the attraction about this part of Scotland. This forest is supposed to be one of very few where star observing is at its prime. It's so dark out, that almost 7,000 stars are visible to the naked eye. It is an astronomer's delight to be out here."

"How enchanting." Anna remembered her father taking her out to count stars in the evening. Those were fond times for her. She had sensed, as the evening wore on, that there were not many lights about. It all seemed a little dark to her and now she knew why.

"If you are up for it, I thought we might sit out tonight, trying to catch a glimpse of a shooting star, or the Aurora Borealis."

"That sounds perfectly lovely," Anna agreed as she finished the last bit of pudding.

* * *

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Anna was filled with enthusiasm. The night sky was exploding with stars, aided by the low light density of the area. Residents used very low wattage bulbs to illuminate their surroundings and this helped make the stars visible. According to Mr. Bates, this was the only certified place in the UK where the dark skies allowed such clear visibility and she loved it. They had already been there an hour and she didn't think she had ever seen more in her life. "What is that, Mr. Bates?" she pointed again to a cluster of stars in a W shaped that shone in the distance. He'd been very patient looking up all the constellations for her.

John gazed at the guide in his hands, courtesy of Daphne, to read information, but pointed his mobile phone towards where Anna pointed. His app would tell him what they were looking at. Anna couldn't see his expression, but he cringed. After everything they had shared, he would have hoped that she would call him John by now. He was used to it at the office, but in this setting, it made him feel old and it didn't help that he was aware of the vast age difference between them. He'd not brought it up before, but was getting his nerve up to ask her.

"Let's see. That would appear to be Cassiopeia." He instructed her further. "Now follow the right-hand V down to that bright star and then perpendicularly up past a faint star to a fuzzy patch of light. That's the Andromeda galaxy and according to this, that's 2.5m light years away and contains around a trillion stars."

They were outside, all bundled up, as the cool night air had made itself known. They'd brought out a blanket and pillow so that they could lie on the grass, behind their cabin, and look up into the night.

"That's brilliant," she answered. "I never imagined that star gazing could be so beautiful." She turned towards him. Although they were sharing the pillow, there was still some space between them. They were being respectful. It was not lost on them that they would soon go back to the cabin and the question of intimacy would arise again. Both of them wanted very much to share that part of themselves with the other, but their first time had been frantic and rather unexpected. This experience, and how to start it, would be different.

He turned to face her too. "Can, I ask you something, Anna?" It was dark out, but her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she could see some concern etched on his face.

"Of course you can."

"There is an age gap between us. I don't know, I must be at least 15 years older than you, or something close to it. It would help me if you stopped calling me Mr. Bates. I feel like I'm your teacher and robbing the cradle. Can you call me John?"

How precious of him. She wanted to laugh at his analogy, but she wouldn't dare. It probably took a lot of him to say such a thing. It was unfortunate that she could not honor his request.

"You are not robbing the cradle, you know. I'm 26, but will be 27 in about a month, and if I remember correctly, you are 41. So, yes, there is a 15 year age difference, but it means nothing to me." She reached towards him with her hand to caress his hair that had flopped forward. It would help reassure him. "I promise I'll stop calling you Mr. Bates as soon as we finish the case. If I try to change now, I might make a mistake and call you the wrong thing in the office. I don't think you'd want that."

"No, I wouldn't." He reflected sadly. She was right, but he desperately wanted to hear her call him by his first name.

Wanting to lighten the situation, she added some options of her own. "If calling you Mr. Bates makes you uncomfortable, I'll try not addressing you by that name at all." She reached forward and kissed him quickly. "I'll call you, 'silly beggar', or 'hey you', or 'cheeky monkey'."

He emitted a chuckle that sounded more like a snort. Her suggestions caught him of guard. He didn't expect those alternatives, as funny as they were. He loved that she was so quick witted. His natural reaction was to bring up his arms to envelope her within his embrace. "What? Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Of course! If you don't want me to call you Mr. Bates, I must call you something." She was being flirty with him and he loved it. Both on the blanket, facing each other and only inches separating them, she was starting to feel an incredible intimate pull towards him.

As Anna was captive within his arms, he started to tickle her as a sign of protest. She squirmed, playfully and followed along. "Which do you prefer? I like cheeky monkey best."

"I'd rather be Mr. Bates than be called cheeky monkey in public." He increased his tickle attack and they began to tussle good naturedly. After a few seconds of movement, he stopped when he suddenly realized that he found himself on top of her, her body pinned down under the weight of him. She was unable to move any part of herself. She wasn't trying anymore either. She had become still and quiet. The same realization had dawned on her and she was gazing at him with expectant eyes. In this position, he felt a wave of heat envelop him. Her eyes were calling to him.

The weight of him above her was delicious. She'd separated her legs as they'd tussled and this had allowed their bodies to be perfectly aligned. They were both aware of it and Anna swallowed hard in anticipation of what could come next. It was up to him, as she couldn't really move. It was dark, but she could still see the outline of his face. There was a deep level of concentration that she had only seen once before, the day they had come together. She could hear his breaths as he made up his mind on what to do next. It was ragged and he was clearly as affected as she was.

He slowly dipped his head to catch her lips and exquisite sensations started within her. They had shared many a sweet kiss that day, but there was intensity to this one that only matched his actions from against the helicopter a few days ago. A tingling crept across her body and she welcomed him, opening up to him. With her response, he relaxed his grip on her, moving his arms to support his weight on his elbows. Her arms, freed from their prison, came up around his head to bring him closer. The kiss was deepening as was their desire. As they were perfectly aligned, she smiled when his arousal made itself known against her. He moaned when he felt her shift underneath him, the action causing him to feel the movement keenly. He pulled himself away to look at her.

"Let's go inside," he offered with a shaky breath. This was his way of asking permission to move forward.

"Let's," she responded with fervor as she pulled him in for another all-consuming kiss.

Somehow, they got up off the grass, collected their things and made it back to the cabin. The temptation to start shedding clothes, while still outside, was great, but they both remembered that they had neighbors, most of whom had traumas to overcome, and it would do them no good to encounter a pair of randy visitors. They kept their clothes on and instead, they touched and massaged and kissed until they made it through the door and were out of sight.

With the click of the door, their anxiety set in. It changed the mood to one of nervousness. Although they were still holding each other, they separated enough to look into each other's eyes.

Could he please her? Their last time was explosive and they were both overcome by the passion, brought on by their argument. This was different. They had time to think and they had spent the entire day together already. If things did not go well, it couldn't be pinned on an impulsive and reckless move. She'd not seen all of him either. He wasn't as young, or as fit as the young men her own age. He had many scars on his body. He suddenly felt very self-conscious. It was a cacophony of emotions that weren't helping. He wasn't sure how to proceed next.

She really wanted him, but reminders of the conflicting interests played in her head. She had to continue convincing herself that this was not wrong. This was right, being with him was right. He was no longer emotionally attached and very soon, he'd be legally available. He looked nervous too. She didn't want to force him into anything if he wasn't ready, no matter how badly she wanted him.

Her eyes bore into his as she asked timidly, but bravely, "Would you rather we didn't?" It would kill her if he agreed.

"No, I absolutely want to. It's just…." He paused and sighed, building up the courage to speak his mind. "Thursday was so unlike anything I've ever done. It happened so quickly and I am not sure I was thinking much. It was so unexpected for both of us. I loved it, but, today is quite different… We've had time to get to know each other better and to think of what we are doing….. and, well, …... I'm not exactly young and it's been such a long time….I'm not sure how to start or how to get it right, for you. "

He cursed himself for saying that. He sounded like such a fool, but there was only kindness in Anna's smile.

He responded again, before Anna even had time to formulate her answer. "I'm sure I sound like an idiot. That's probably not very enticing, is it?" He looked down and away from her, embarrassed by the words coming from his mouth.

Anna felt so much love for this man. A wave of warmth spread through her body when he spoke. His honesty was something she valued and it made him more special in her eyes. To ease his concerns, she responded the only way she knew how. She brought her lips to his neck and started to plant small kisses up towards his jaw and across it, until she reached the sensitive part underneath his ear. She heard him moan with appreciation. It was easier to allow him to feel and be convinced by that, than to listen solely to reason. She'd use a combination of both.

"Our first time, as tempestuous as it became, was amazing. That was all you and I. Where we are, now, doesn't change anything at all. It is still just the two of us," she added between nibbles, then stopped. She brought her head back be in front of his and when she had his attention, she continued. "I want you to make love to me. There is no pressure, no expectations. It's just you and I. Do what comes natural to you."

She was irresistible like that. She was a mix of tenderness and assertiveness. He couldn't help it and his lips found hers again. He felt her hands come up and pull at the collar of his jacket. In an instant, she had pulled it back and she already had it down as far as it would go. Since he was still holding her, he needed to shift his arms to help her release it, but it was a start. Shed of his first article of clothing, he was ready to move forward. She made everything easier.

He pulled on her lip again and her mouth welcomed him. His tongue pushed through, finding hers and they deepened their connection instantly. Both their hands were busy, and while their lips were melded together, refusing to separate, he could feel the pulling and pushing of clothing. He was sure his shirt and jumper were off, and he was most certain he had her down to bra and pants. They had separated once, to breathe, and at that time, he recalled seeing her pull something over her head. It couldn't have been more than a second or two, as his lips had been busy seeking out the spots he knew would arouse her.

He had a broad torso and it was full of curly black hair. It felt divine to run her hands through it and it send tingles down her body as they brushed against her sensitive breasts. She needed him soon. She didn't know why he was worried about not pleasing her. He was doing a damn good job with his lips and hands already. She was sure he would do fine. As the urgency within her built up, she realized that they were far from the bed, as they hadn't really moved since they entered the cabin. He had her against the front door. Conscious of their location, she moved him backward, slowly, towards the bed.

"The bed," she managed to say raggedly and they moved the few feet needed.

John felt the back of the bed hit his knees and he sat down, on the edge. Anna was planted between his legs. Their mouths had finally separated, and they gazed knowingly at one another. She ran her hands through his hair and he unbuttoned her pants. Without saying much, he slowly pulled them down. His hands grazed both sides of her thighs and as they slid off, he heard her breath hitch. He was now able to see her perfect silhouette for the first time. She was still wearing her undergarments, but she was beautiful. He couldn't wait to see the rest of her. He hadn't had that privilege before, gazing at her, since he'd been a frantic beast during their first joining. He'd not even removed her knickers, pushing them to the side before taking her. He wanted to do a better job this time, to be more considerate, to enjoy her completely.

After he removed her pants, she followed suit and reached down to him, unbuckling his own. She took advantage of a lull in action as he stared at her body. She didn't get too far, as his arms came around her back and he pulled her flush against him. In one swoop, he fell back, bringing her with him. She yelped at the unexpected tug that had her falling on top of him, but she giggled soon after. "Mr. Bates, I was taking off your pants!" she exclaimed as he held her down and rolled her over until he was on top of her.

"Oh, you can still do that," he teased as he rolled them around again. Anna was now on top of him. "Is this better?"

"You silly man." She straddled him, just beneath his groin, and managed to finish what she started. She unfastened them and brought them down, just a little, revealing his boxer shorts. She liked what she saw, a lot.

"Let's see what we have here." His erection was straining within and she teased him by running her hand along the length of the hardened member. He bucked at her touch and gyrated his hips. "My, somebody is eager."

"Very eager, indeed," he responded as he sat up to catch her lips in another searing kiss. He left her without air and the urgency of their joining was apparent to her, as his mouth claimed her incessantly. She didn't even notice, as affected as she was, when his hand snapped the hooks of her bra and he flung it off. She realized this had happened when his hands came to cup her breasts fully. He massaged them in tandem to the movements of his mouth and Anna thought she might die. The pleasure was unbelievable. She protested when he pulled his mouth away, but soon enough, his ardent lips made their way across her collar bone and down to the rosy peaks that beckoned him. She couldn't coordinate anymore. She felt like putty as his mouth latched on and sucked from one to the other. She just sat there, on her haunches, unable to do anything else.

The little temptress had unleashed him when she ran her hands across his hardened length. He was enjoying her breasts, suckling them as a babe would. He could tell she had lost all concentration. His tongue continued to work on them. He wanted to get rid of his pants, but Anna in this state would not manage them.

"Come forward," he commanded and when she did, he turned them around again until he was on top. It took only a few seconds to pull everything off and he returned to her, finally naked. He hooked his fingers underneath the elastic of her knickers and she knew to raise her hips. They were down immediately and he could finally gaze at her exquisite body. He didn't deserve such perfection. She was flawless, like a Michelangelo sculpture. She had curves where they needed to be and smooth perfect skin everywhere. He wanted desperately to take her and make her his all over again.

"I'm waiting, Mr. Bates." Her voice was impatient. He had disappeared from himself momentarily and she needed him back. All his ministrations had worked their magic and she was burning inside. The fire within could only be quenched with him. She looked at him imploringly.

He came back from his gazing to focus on her. "What do you want, love?" he responded to her pleas. He kissed the length of her body slowly. He wanted to make sure he pleased her.

"I want you, now." She hesitated, and then demanded further. "No, I need you. Take me now, Mr. Bates."

He wouldn't be told twice. He positioned himself, then took her hands into his and raised them over her head. Firmly held together, he entered her slowly, and then finished by thrusting in completely. He felt a wave of pleasure register through is body as she took him in. Their moans were loud and in unison. She was perfect and tight.

His length was ideal for her small body and she felt him deep within. Her face said it all. Her mouth was gaping and her eyes were open wide. She could barely reason, the sensation was overwhelming.

"Are you..." He meant to ask if she was ready, but he was cut off by her insistence.

"Just go, please. You're killing me." She reached out to kiss him, pulling on his bottom lip and biting it slightly. She was more than ready.

Their rhythm was frantic, but continuous. Both did what they needed to do for the sensations to build within them. Anna was vocal, very much so, and that excited him beyond reason. It threatened to make him come sooner than he ought, but he focused on his actions. He didn't want to fail her. He plunged deep, then shallow, alternating his movements every time he pulled in and out. With every additional stroke, Anna's cries intensified until he felt he could control himself no longer.

"Are you close?" he could barely get the words out, but he did. He didn't need a response and he wouldn't get one. Anna's body tensed beneath him and her eyes rolled back. She stopped her movements and he could tell she was gone, transported to a world in an alternate universe where everything was peace and pleasure. She trembled around him. Without a care in the world, he moved once more, eliciting his release and joining her on the trip across the universe.

* * *

><p>0-0-0-0<p>

A very dim light, from the nightstand, illuminated the bed. Anna was on top of him slightly, covering his right ribs, but tucked into his side. Their legs were intertwined. Her head lay nestled underneath his jaw and her blond tresses fanned across his chest. The hair across his broad torso tickled her cheeks, but, the sound of his heart beating, after their exertions, anchored her to that spot. She enjoyed listening to the pulsating rhythm as they diminished in intensity. One of his arms held her to him and he dragged his fingers across her spine. The other, played with the strands of her hair.

They were still very much unclothed and thanks to the heat in the cabin, they were in no rush to cover themselves up. From her vantage point, Anna could see the thick lines of scars on the hip she was not resting atop of. She had seen them, briefly, when they were coming together, but in that same instant, her mind was occupied with more pressing concerns and she forgot immediately about it. His injury had not constrained his ability, at least, not that she could tell. His performance had been masterful. Now, her curiosity got the better of her and she trailed her fingers playfully across his abdomen until they were tracing the evidence of his surgery. Her index finger moved gingerly down, as far as the length of her arm would allow, then she brought back up to where she had started. John was awake, and he tensed slightly when she did this.

"Did it hurt?" she asked boldly as she removed her fingers. He was supposed to be an open book this weekend. She may as well help him get the conversation started. She held her breath as she waited for him to answer. Her hand now lay protectively over his hip.

Before he did, he took a deep breath and his chest rose. Anna felt his movement and worried she might upset him. He sighed deeply, probably willing himself to start the conversation. With resignation, he finally spoke.

"It did. I spent months in rehabilitation and had three surgeries, but it was not as painful as losing my best friend, Callum."

She placed a kiss on his chest and looked up at him. His head was propped up by a pillow and their eyes met. Anna could see, through his eyes, that the story was painful. They reflected a sadness she had seen in him before.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want," she offered genuinely. She sought to know more about him, everything he was willing to share, but she did not want him to suffer either.

"I'll tell you. That is what this weekend is about." His fingers that had been playing with the ends of her hair sought hers out and instantly, they were intertwined and laid across his chest.

"Callum and I met in the RAF. We trained together as helicopter pilots and we formed a solid friendship. We were young blokes of 18 with similar backgrounds. He was a mix of Scottish-Irish like I was and had been raised in England by a single parent. We had similar vices. We both smoked and drank and we couldn't get enough of women. We were young and felt on top of the world. We served initially in the first Iraq war of '91 shortly after basic training. We met Robert there and although he was married and older, and already had Mary and Edith, he hung out with us a lot. He was in a different group, but we just sort of got along, meeting at the mess hall. After the war, we were posted differently. I was sent to Church Fenton base in Tadcaster and he was posted to Waddington at Lincoln. It was close enough that we saw each other regularly. Our friendship grew and he came home to meet my mum and at one point, I went to his home to meet his mum and his sister. That sister….."

He paused and hesitated, then continued.

"That sister was Vera."

Anna knew that sooner or later, she would come up in their conversation this weekend, but she had not linked her to this. It was surprising.

"Did you start dating her?" Anna asked when after a minute, he had not continued with his story.

"No, not then. That came after. Vera and her brother were very close. Similar to what my mum went through, their father was also abusive, and so, Vera and her brother were inseparable. He tried calling her as much as possible and he always sent her cards and letters. By that time, we were 20 and Vera was 19. I thought that was nice, you know – having the support of a sibling – because, I didn't have one. It was only just my mum and I. I saw Vera on and off through the next two years. I thought she was pretty, she always has been, but I never stood a chance with Callum as her brother. He was very protective. At that time, I did not understand their dynamic. I showed some interest once and he shot me down. I assumed that it was because he knew of my many female liaisons - I was a loose cannon back then. I had a military uniform and a lot of swag. I had my pick of women and I didn't blame him, although I sometimes thought that he took it to an extreme. She could have had suitors, but I never knew of any. It would be years later until I understood how their relationship worked and if I would have known, I would have never married her."

"Did you love her?" It pained Anna to ask, but, he did marry her. There must have been love.

"There was affection, not love, but at the time, I couldn't tell the difference."

"So, he finally gave you permission?"

"No, we became close when Callum died… That's the whole center of this story."

Anna laid other kisses on his chest, providing him with more courage to continue speaking.

"We were stationed on the outskirts of Mostar, Bosnia. It was 1995, towards the end of the conflict. Callum and I were part of the peacekeeping forces and in the same unit. We'd been there at least one time before, in 1994, but separately. Now we were together, reunited. Robert was also there, supervising the logistics of the entire operation. We didn't report to him, but we shared several great weeks of camaraderie. Our missions were not complicated. We ferried soldiers and supplies across several cities. There was occasional gunfire, but we were not really in the thick of it. Our assignment was to be for one year, but it was cut short by what happened."

"What happened, Mr. Bates?" She rubbed his chest to reassure him.

"We got the call on New Year's day. There was supposed to be a ceasefire from both sides. Nobody expected to be called into duty. I had drunk several beers and had taken a couple of shots of Bosnian brandy, or Rakija. I wasn't drunk and neither was Callum. All these drinks were consumed over several hours, thus, my blood alcohol level could not have been high. I made the terrible mistake, though, as the pilot on duty, of drinking that night and thinking that the truce would be respected. It wasn't. Several of our peacekeeping forces at Banja Luka were ambushed as they celebrated and there were many wounded soldiers that needed to be airlifted. We were called to extricate them. Callum and I immediately went to our MH-53 helicopter. It was new, having been delivered to our base just that day. It hadn't flown but for the trip on which it was brought in. We were excited to be the first to get to give it a spin."

"What happened next is blurry. We took off and when we were about 20 meters in the air, we lost control and crashed. It was not a terribly high distance, it is considered survivable under certain conditions, but Callum did not make it. It was a freak accident, really. The blades snapped from the rotor mechanism upon impact and were propelled all over. We had been thrown from the wreckage, separately, and one of the blades found him." John paused, considering what to say. "Let's just say that his was a horrific death. I didn't see any of it, as the impact knocked me unconscious. I broke both my hips and several bones along this leg, including shattering my kneecap." He smoothed his hand over the affected leg.

"I awoke two days later and Robert told me. They had patched me up physically, but my heart was broken. I was shipped back home the next day, as I would need further surgery and extensive rehabilitation. I reached out to Vera, his next of kin. Their mum had died the year before, so, she was alone now. She started coming to the hospital to see me. Both of us, in our immense grief, found mutual comfort in each other. Nobody in the world knew how we felt at losing him and this shared pain brought us together. It was quick. We were married by the hospital chaplain before I could realize what had happened. Our entire courtship must have been less than a month. I never even told her that we had been drinking, as I felt too guilty. When my mum met Vera, she told me we were not cut out for each other and when the grief subsided, we would see that. At the time, I was 23 and Vera was 22."

"Did it? Is that what happened?" Anna was very curious. She imaged what it would feel like to lose her best friend and could imagine how grief might bring them together. She remembered how she felt when her parents died. Had she been any older, she might have made the same mistakes. It really was a devastating feeling.

John continued.

"Yes and No. I knew a couple of weeks later that I had been rash, as I did not love her. I wouldn't have done anything about it, though. I felt responsible for his death, as I had been at the main helm. He had taken the position of co-pilot, so, I was the one with ultimate responsibility. Even if we had both been drinking, I felt guilty about that. I wondered if that had impaired me at all. Ultimately, I felt that I needed to protect her, to do this for him, now that he was gone and she was alone. She didn't love me either, but she meant to give it a go, as best as she could, also for his sake. That, and he hadn't really let her have any formal suitors. She wasn't an innocent, that was apparent to me the first time we were together, but, she didn't know how to deal with men. She was even awkward around me."

"When did it all change?"

"When the accident records were released. A few weeks after the accident, shortly after we were married, we were visited by a solicitor. We were told the helicopter was defective. It turns out that it had been flown in by Sikorsky, the manufacturer's company team, and they certified that it was ready for use. Apparently, something on the delivery checklist was missed. That was the version we were told. The solicitor said that Callum's next of kin and I would each get one million pounds as compensation. I hadn't expected that and neither did she. We didn't ask more questions, or try to get more money. It couldn't replace Callum, so what was the point? I just felt relieved that I had not been pointed out as having caused the crash. They made us sign liability release forms and we did. We were instantly rich. We had two million pounds between us."

"A year must have passed. I was rehabilitated to the point where I could walk without a cane, albeit slowly. I was discharged from the army without any pomp or circumstance. We moved on. We had decided not to spend our money rashly and wait until I was completely well before making any decisions as to our next steps. We had talked, on and off, about what we could do with it and decided that we should buy a helicopter and offer our services ad hoc. We reasoned that if we did not make money from the venture, we could sell the asset and nothing would be lost. It was the only skill I had, flying, so it made sense. We decided to move to Yorkshire, having surveyed competition. Bates Airlift was born. It started slow and we marketed ourselves as a charter service. I did all sorts of things - carrying heavy loads, scenic flying, executive services, etc. – anything to keep money coming in and little by little, we had our hands full. Our relationship wasn't great. She had a mean streak and was very lazy at work. We ended up hiring somebody to do the administrative duties because she couldn't keep focus. Our marriage survived because I kept reminding myself that I owed it to Callum."

"After five years or so of flying, Vera decided she wanted to see the full accident record. I didn't know why she needed to see it. It wasn't public record. I wasn't sure that opening old wounds was the best course to follow, but she campaigned the Office of Military Records against my will, hired a solicitor and a year or so later, we were sent the whole investigation. We had been married almost eight years by then and that is when my life changed."

"What happened, love?" She had shifted during his explanations and now had her chin in her hands and both were propped against his chest. She was gazing at him with much concentration. The more he explained, the more interested she became.

"The records stated that the alcohol content in my blood .07. The legal limit in England is .08, but in Bosnia, it is .05. I never had a clue. Why they did not tell me, I don't know. It turns out that initially, there was a disagreement as to whether I should be held liable for the crash, and there were issues as to the jurisdiction and whose laws applied in the particular incident. The Bosnian government confronted the head of NATO forces of the area. The crash happened, on the base and when on a base, military law applies. For this particular incident, the laws of England would be honored. Since no Bosnian citizens died, the government had been convinced to let it go and they did, as their resources were thin. They had the ethnic war in their country to think about. The report also reinforced what I did know. It also stated that there was a step skipped in the delivery protocol. Sikorsky did not want the negative publicity, as it could impact their contracts with other nations, so, they decided to "bribe" us, which is essentially what happened."

"Why was Vera upset if you were not found liable?" It just didn't make sense. His blood alcohol was under the legal England level, proving, as he had stated, that he didn't feel impaired.

"The fact that two governments decided that they had other things to do, rather than pursue my guilt, does not mean I was not, in fact, a party to the crash. The truth is, I did not feel drunk, but, my blood alcohol content was close enough to the England limit that Vera would take that as a definite proof of my responsibility. I had always felt it was my fault anyway. Regardless of the defect that contributed to the crash, which was described in detail in said report, to Vera, I was the one who killed her brother, and the fact that I never disclosed to her that we had been drinking that night, made me the worst human being in her eyes. Our not so good marriage became unbearable. She was filled with rage. She said things, out of desperation and hurt, and it was not until that time that I realized what type of relationship Vera and Callum had. I had heard things, while Vera slept, or when we were intimate and it always left me confused. She once yelled his name when we were together. I was shocked, but, I let it go. Now, I understood why that could happen."

Anna did not understand where he was going with that last information. John realized it by the confused look on her face.

"She never said it outright, but I am now sure that with the harsh childhood they shared, they were co-dependent on each other for everything, including sex. She wasn't a virgin when we married, but she never once mentioned any other boyfriend and I did ask. She said that I was her first boyfriend, which at the time surprised me."

Anna was shocked. She didn't know what to say or do at this revelation. _Incest?_

"Is that too much for you?" he asked when he read the anxiety on her face.

"No, I can handle it," she assured him, even when her face reflected something different. She shifted again, now sitting beside him, contemplating everything he had just said.

"Are you sure? I am not trying to shock you, just for you to understand Vera's motivations and hardships these last years. We can stop if you prefer."

"I am surprised, I won't deny it. I just needed a moment for my head to stop spinning." After a few seconds, she added the thoughts that were in her mind. "I'm curious, though, if after reading the report and coming to her conclusion that you were unequivocally responsible, why would she remain married to you?"

"Ah, well. That's easy. Pure vengeance. From that moment on, ten years ago, she made my life a living hell. She reveled in humiliating me, in trying to hurt me. She would still come to me for sex, but she was intent on belittling me. At work, she wanted the company to fail and started to covertly cause problems. At first, I thought it was the penance I had to do for my part in his death. Whatever the report says and whatever Sikorsky thought, I was at the helm. If I survived, and if I took Sikorsky's hush money, then I would have to endure. I managed to convince her, after a particularly disastrous customer cancelation, that if she continued to cause problems, then it was her loss too. If the company failed, both of us failed. Both our money had been used for this and that she would be penniless if we went bankrupt. After that, she became more cautious with the company and little by little we managed to make it grow. A little over five years ago, we saw our biggest expansion and Vera has accepted that if she wants to continue with this lifestyle, she must not exact her revenge on the company."

That made sense.

"What changed your mind? I mean, if you were so intent on staying, on letting her make you wretched, what changed?" She couldn't imagine that he had spent so much time with her, miserable. He had the patience of a saint.

"You wouldn't believe it, but this place changed me. It's meant for women, but many a conversation with Daphne has made me understand that I've paid enough penance. In some ways, I am just as abused and exploited as these women are. My experience cannot compare, as some of these cases are really unimaginable, but Vera's slow and lingering torture has battered my self-esteem and confidence. She's been my oppressor and victimizer and I have let it happen. I realize now that allowing Vera to do with me what she wants does nothing, but make it worse for her too. She cannot begin to heal herself unless I stop her. Making up my mind, though, was hard. I see the change that so many of these broken women have made and they inspire me. If they could do it, then I could. I started asking for a divorce a while after I started flying here. Of course Vera shot me down, and by then, I was aware that Vera had turned to other men as a way to humiliate me further. She was never really a flirt when I met her. She developed that trait as new men started to arrive in the company. She wanted me to look a fool in the eyes of the others. She's accomplished that... I am sure the men see me as weak, but, I don't care. Even with all of that, it was only until recently that I decided to hire a private investigator and now, I'm here with you."

He gave her a bit of a shy smile and she responded by leaning forward to kiss him sweetly. She pulled back and sighed. She decided to address his self-assessed label of weakness.

"For the record, I've not heard anybody, besides her two friends -you know you I am talking about - say anything against you. I think the majority of your staff recognizes your leadership and your humane qualities. They, and I, know what a great man you are."

Anna leaned in to kiss him again and he accepted it, sincerely. He felt great comfort from that contact. Anna was not rejecting him after such a story. He pulled her closer and kissed her deeper. She moved apart from him for a moment, and she looked like she had something to say. She traced her finger on his lips, as she decided on the words.

"Your story is amazing Mr. Bates. I can't believe what you've suffered, and what Vera has suffered. I feel sorry for her, and I feel very inspired by you and by what you've overcome. I understand what you meant when you said you were deeply flawed, but I hope you realize that in the midst of all of that tragedy and sorrow, you too deserve some happiness. I think you've been sad long enough."

"I am happy, Anna. You make me happy."

She smiled at his warm words and the implication of what he was saying. No other words were spoken as they loved each other again, long into the night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I thought I should bring up that the RAF does not actually have any Sikorsky helicopters. I based the actual accident on a legal case I found about another military accident from another country under similar circumstances and that was a Sikorsky. If I wanted to give full disclosure, I would also add that military helicopters that are used to extricate wounded personnel, or soldiers, are rather large and require 3 to 4 crew members to operate. They can accommodate 24 to 55 troops. The RAF uses Chinook and Merlin models for that purpose and those are the helicopters currently deployed in Afghanistan.**

**The Dark Skies of the Galloway Forest National Park are also real. After discovering them for this story, it is on my list of places I want to go. There are some amazing videos on Vimeo and YouTube for you to get an idea of just how beautiful the nights are in that part of the world.**

**Thank you to my dedicated and loyal reviewers. I am late on answering your comments, but, I will get to it before I post the next chapter! You are all wonderful. I've run into a lot of major challenges in RL, but I've continued writing because your comments are all awesome and I will not leave you without an ending. **

**Now that their adventure is over, how will they handle themselves in the office? The next couple of chapters will be big! Stay tuned...**


	15. Unhinged Memories

**My apologies for making you wait so long. I have been struggling to find my mojo after some intense work weeks, season 5 and a family funeral. I am hoping that the days off I take in the upcoming holidays help me to get it back. Because of that, this isn't my favorite chapter, but I hope you'll like it anyways. Words are 12.8K.**

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><p>"Please tell me you used protection?" Mary was not too subtle with her words.<p>

Anna's cheeks turned a faint shade of crimson. She wasn't a prude, but Mary could be too direct sometimes. She hadn't even closed the door to their flat either. And she was loud; anybody could have heard.

"Yes, good evening to you too." She answered cynically as she closed the door behind her and set her case next to the entrance. She wouldn't have left for a weekend away without anybody knowing, so Mary knew exactly what she had been up to. She expected that her friend would want all of the salacious details.

"Fine. Hello. Now answer my question." There was urgency in her voice.

"Yes, Mary. I still have my contraceptive implant. I won't be getting pregnant." She scrunched her nose at her friend.

Mary appeared relieved, then transformed into a schoolgirl before her very eyes. The information was not enough to quell her inquisitive nature and she wanted to know more.

"Now do tell. How many times?" This time, her tone was more jovial and playful and her hands flailed in anticipation of the information.

"How many times what?" Of course Anna knew what she was referring to. How many glorious times did she and her lover get together? Not that she would tell, but it was four - twice in the night, then in once in the morning. The last time was not even two hours ago - and in the helicopter, of all places.

"Oh come on Anna. I am not asking for all of the sordid details of your tryst. I know who your lover is and I couldn't deal with that much knowledge...…but give me something. You've that mysterious look about you again, the one that says you did something sinful, so don't deny you had fun," Mary's eyes implored.

"Yes, it was positively sinful…and I had plenty of fun. But, it was more than that." Her heart leapt for joy just thinking of him. She got emotional just thinking of him. "John Bates is one of the most romantic and generous people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He's a fabulous lover and I had an incredible time." The way she focused her eyes and tilted her face made Mary understand that she was not going to get much more than that.

"Can you at least tell me where you went?"

Anna didn't think she would be giving up his secret if she were vague enough. "Scotland." The country, as a destination, was big enough and lovely enough to not have to give any further details.

Mary pursed her lips together in dissatisfaction.

"What about you?" asked Anna, not a few seconds later. "How did it go this weekend?"

"Highclere was great. I think I will feel really comfortable there. Isobel was kind and allowed unrestricted access to whatever I wanted to see and touch." It had been Mary's first official weekend volunteering at the castle, something that she was really looking forward to since Isobel relented and agreed to let her join the team. "I think I spent more time exploring than working." Mary's expression was one of mischief and her eyes widened with excitement. "I went as high as what used to be the servant's quarters and also some attics. I also spent time in the archive reading my great grandparents letters to each other. So you see, I also had an amazing weekend."

Anna was pleased to see her friend happy and off the Mr. Bates topic. She was happy to hang out with Mary and chat, just as long as the topic of conversation was not her and her handsome lover. "What about Matthew? Did you see him there?"

Mary's demeanor changed again. She bit her lip, indicating surprise. "That was less amazing. I haven't heard from him in a few days. I think things are cooling down before they ever heated up."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I know how much you liked him." Anna was disappointed. She knew Matthew very little, having only seen him a couple of times, but he seemed a stand-up fellow.

"I did like him and I thought he was into me too. It was just odd, the last couple of times I saw him, though. We couldn't move into the next level of progression in our relationship. It stalled. He couldn't keep his puppy dog eyes off of me, but, I guess I was wrong regarding his interest."

Anna reached out to hold her friends hand and Mary smiled back at her.

"At least one of us is happy," Mary responded.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was a tight squeeze, but they made it work. They hadn't intended to be together when they landed on the cliff of Morpeth Scar to get a better view of Castle Bolton. She'd cooed at how beautiful the castle remains looked set against the evening sun when they flew over and he was more than happy to oblige her and provide her with a better and closer view. What was the point of owning his own helicopter if he couldn't use it to his advantage? Perched atop the desolate cliff, they could see some farms below, and the impressive ruins ahead of them. It was a great site to behold. The lighting was just right. The sun was about to set, casting a warm glow around them and making it a magical moment. They shared the scenery together, John holding Anna close as he wrapped his arms around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder. Anna leaned back into him, comfortable in his embrace.

They couldn't have been there more than ten minutes, realizing that they did have to get back. They couldn't arrive at the Drake farm too late. They walked back to their seats, hand in hand. Their emotions were one edge, as they were already in Yorkshire, and they would have to say good bye once more. Their restricted existence would rule over their lives again. Wanting to feel her one last time, he ran his hands slowly up her sides as she stood on the step to get back into the helicopter. The gentle caress of his fingers stopped shy of her breasts and she could feel the tingling of her body with every light touch. He set her on fire and she was forced to hold her breath as she took her place on the seat. He was also on the precipice, teetering on the edge of self-combustion. Touching her had stimulated his body, enough so that he could barely get enough oxygen in his lungs. The physical reaction was evident in his pants. They had a second to exchange glances and understand what the other one was feeling. That's all it took. She lunged forward to kiss him, hard and demanding. It was an awkward angle, as she was already seated and he was still standing, yet his hands found her body and couldn't resist running them over the reachable contours of her body. A voice in his head repeated that he needed to have her once more.

"John, please," she insisted, between kisses. Her pleas could have meant, "Stop" or "Continue", but judging by her zeal, and the way her hand had made it down to cup him, he would guess the latter. He wouldn't be the one to object, not the way she was making him feel. This feeling between them couldn't be stopped or tamed. They were desperate for each other.

He looked around. It had rained in the afternoon. The ground was too muddy, even if they laid his emergency blanket on it. They would end up filthy and they could not show up at the Drake farm, to pick up her car, looking less than proper. His leg, after such an intense physical weekend, would not survive hoisting her against the body of the chopper again and with the ground unstable, he would likely cause a fall. He would have to get creative. Reluctantly, he pulled apart from her.

"Hold on darling," he yelled as he ran around to the other side of the helicopter. He pulled the door to his side with so much force, that it bounced back on its hinges and hit him as he tried to ascend into the cab.

"Ouch," he yelped, as the door welted his backside. He didn't care about the pain. He was a man on a mission. Anna looked on, caught between wanting to laugh and the ecstasy of wanting to pull him forward for another kiss.

Anna was wearing her sun dress and an open cardigan, a practical outfit for what they wanted to do. "Take off your knickers," he demanded, as he took hold of the cooler that sat between both front seats. With no regard for the contents, he tossed it out of the helicopter, from his side. He did not flinch, nor did she, when the noise of the falling contents made a big ruckus outside. He moved onto his seat and reached for Anna's lips as she tried to glide the offending piece of clothing down her legs. With his free hands, he brought down the third pull down seat that was positioned between them and slid onto it. Anna understood what he meant to do and with her hands, she helped pull down his pants and drawers as far as she could. The reward was visible immediately. She wasted no time and moved towards him. The space was narrow and she had just enough room to sit atop him, with her knees actually burrowing into the sides of the existing leather seats.

As quickly as was possible, they were joined. There was no preamble, no foreplay. Their need for each other was immediate and they wasted no time in starting to move. The desperation between them heightened every thrust. Their mouths were latched on to each other. Anna had brought his shirt up as high as possible, and was able to feel his chest against hers. She didn't know when John did it, but he had opened up the first few buttons of her dress and she was wearing her bra as a necklace. He was really quite skilled to manage it without her being aware.

"Beep….Beep….Beep…." John woke with a start. He swatted the button and immediately groaned. The alarm clock woke him up at the most inconvenient time. Just reliving what they had done yesterday, in the helicopter, was as exciting as the real thing. He had never had sex in one of his birds, even though he had been flying for over twenty years. This was his first time and it had blown his mind. There couldn't have been a better ending for their weekend together. Their movements had been so explosive and vigorous, that the pull down seat had ended up ruined - unhinged and dangling. How would he explain that to Tom Branson? That was the least of his worries. He'd find a possible excuse. He was more concerned with safety. How would he ever be able to fly in that chopper again without the memories flooding back? Not that reliving the memories was a bad thing; only, he could do without the physical consequences of such moments. Even now, when it had only been a dream, he was wet. Just thinking about Anna did things to him. It would be very inconvenient for that to happen if he were flying.

He sighed as he made himself comfortable against the pillow. He would clean up soon. He could spare a few more minutes before heading to the office. Thinking about other things would certainly help control that physical side of him that needed taming.

He went over the conversations that Anna had shared with him. She explained how the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account was really won. Even now, he was still angry at Richard for concealing the full details of what transpired. He was going to need to talk to Gwen. Then his mind went to Anthony and the results of the preliminary blood analysis. He knew Edna was up to no good. The woman had already attempted to ruin his life, and he would be damned if she did that to Anthony too. He was going to need to encourage his friend to either get a DNA sample or let the Carsons create a ruse to obtain it themselves.

All of this information he owed to Anna. She was brilliant. If you set aside the emotional factors that bound them together and might cloud his judgment, he would always conclude that she and her people were damn good investigators. Despite his original misgivings, they had already accomplished so much. He still pondered the future, though. It had taken more time than he ever thought would be needed. Money wasn't the issue – time was. Creating a believable development plan in his company, while she continued to work there required thought. He hadn't gotten that far.

Anna was set to start with the Flight department this week, and would be under the tutelage of Michael Gregson. She had a keen eye for detail and had already given him some feedback and suggestions on how to improve his processes, so, even in that respect she had proven beneficial. He was sure she would do great in this department too. Michael would take her on an oil rig run, they had already discussed it, but Michael had standards and he would not allow that to happen if she had not learned the basics of helicopter safety, helicopter anatomy and the science of flight. There was a reason Michael Gregson was his chief Pilot and Trainer and Anna was in for a tough week.

When this week was finished, though, what could he do with her? There were no more departments to rotate through. He never thought that getting all of the answers would take this long and he had not thought out what she might do when the rotation was finished. He was going to have to think of something that the rest of their team could believe.

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Anna was nervous. She had purposefully come to the office a few minutes behind schedule, rather than early. As much as she was dying to see him again, and maybe spend a few minutes alone, even if they'd parted less than 12 hours before, it wouldn't do good to seem over eager. Also, if she were found coming too early every day, somebody might figure them out. That was the last thing she wanted. She was, after all, a private detective and she knew better than anybody that a person's downfall started when they became complacent, and when they started forming a trend. Keep them guessing and you'll never get caught. She wanted to think that she could be as clever as those whom she sought to catch.

She also had a mission to complete. Yesterday night, she'd checked in with Pops and he had suggested that they accelerate their investigation of the four remaining potential lovers. Pops really did want to be finished with this case. Four was a manageable amount to track and he requested she place GPS devices, just like Vera's, on their four cars. If she added the GPS devices, even though he and Elsie would not personally follow them, they could see if any of their routes intercepted with Vera's. Common destinations could be determined, raising suspicion on somebody, or nobody. Whatever beliefs Mr. Bates had about the lover being on his payroll, this might help come to a final determination. It was worth a try.

With that in mind, if she came to the office too early, there would be no automobiles available to target. She needed to be able to park in a less convenient and far away spot, strategically requiring to cross the entire car park, so she might be able to implant the device as she walked along the row of cars towards the office. It would seem odd if she did that, if arriving early, when there were spaces closer to the entrance. Only Gwen had a vision to the outside, from her desk's window, and she could get away with it without eliciting any concerns. Anna could easily stop and feign a problem with her shoe, just in case Gwen was casually watching.

She was lucky, when she did arrive, that most of the employees had already parked and she was able to follow through on Evelyn's and Michael's automobiles. They just happened to be parked together. Richard was not there yet and William's was on the other side. She wouldn't be able to target them without looking suspicious and decided to wait. Perhaps she could pretend that she needed to run an errand at lunch time and deploy the devices then. Still, 50% success, so early in the morning, was a great motivator.

Having accomplished her first task of the day, it was time for the next. It was time to see him.

He was there, in his office, as she walked by towards the crew room. She muttered a very non-distinct Good Morning to the general population and she was almost sure she heard him respond back. Gwen turned to greet her, making it impossible for her to swivel her head and casually seek him out. A pang of sorrow enveloped her because of this. She had really wanted to cast her eyes upon him, and the absence of this tore her up. She was happy though, when not twenty minutes later, when she was with Michael and he was showing her how to access the online learning program as part as her week's requirements, he strode in to talk to him briefly. He flashed the grin she loved so much, when Michael had his back to him. She could feel her heart skip a beat and she missed the entire point Michael was trying to make with her. Anna wasn't an expert on their aviation topics; not yet – but she was sure that his presence in the crew room was to get a glimpse of her. He'd asked Michael something that could have easily been asked via email. Or he could have called, but didn't. Anna wanted to think that he had experienced as much sorrow as she had. Just that idea, that he could concoct an excuse to be in the same room to relieve their mutual yearning made her day.

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John Bates had learned his lesson when it came to coaching less than stellar employees. Two years prior, he'd had to let go of a pilot that falsified his flight records. That was an egregious mistake. Falsifying records could get their license revoked. Safety was their number one priority. The first time it happened, he gave Mr. Sampson a talking to, as recommended by his outsourced HR Specialist, Sarah Bunting, and recorded the conversation in his personnel file. Mr. Sampson agreed that this situation would never happen again and when it did, and not a month later, he was sacked. Ms. Bunting agreed with John that Mr. Sampson had been given a fair warning and that this process would stand up in court if he were to sue him. This was a different situation, but talking to Sarah O'Brien required the utmost preparation and care. Since the situation with Sampson, he had not needed to have any counseling conversations with his personnel, but Sarah had earned herself a reprimand. When John explained his predicament to Ms. Bunting, that Sarah was a friend of Vera's and that he wouldn't put it past her to do something foolish, she suggested to either tape the session, or have a witness representing each side. With witnesses, she could not change the version of events that would transpire in this conversation.

Thus, on a Tuesday morning, John and Michael sat in the conference room waiting for Sarah and her witness. He had chosen Michael because, as a pilot, he was rarely in the office and could be neutral in any situation. He hardly dealt with Sarah and had no preconceived notions of her negative behaviors. He was also a good judge of character. They both guessed her witness would be Thomas, and their powers of anticipation were proven correct when the pair of workers sauntered in on time. Sarah looked none too pleased to be here and Thomas appeared confused and uncomfortable. John reckoned he had been coerced into the role of witness.

"So, I'm here. Say what you will." Sarah spoke loudly and directly, without much respect.

"First of all, thank you to Michael and Thomas for coming. Both of you are here to listen and to bear witness to this conversation, but will not participate in any way." Both men nodded in acknowledgment while Sarah continued to scowl.

"Sarah, are you not happy working here? Lately, you've had some errors in judgment in the handling of our clients and have not shown any remorse or concern when confronted with the situation."

"Are you saying I can't make any mistakes?" Her tone was defiant.

"No, that is not what I am saying. You don't seem happy and it is affecting the quality of your work."

Sarah shrugged and offered no comment.

"Do you have anything to say, Sarah? This is meant to be a two way conversation." John had maintained an even tone when he spoke. "I'd like your opinion on the matter."

Sarah looked up and addressed him. "I am perfectly happy here and my opinion doesn't matter. You've made up your mind already. Do what you will." Her cynical tone made John cringe. Her incredulous response was unwarranted. She wanted to give him no credit for his being reasonable, when he could have been harsher from the beginning.

"I am glad to know that you are happy here and I will confirm that I've not made up my mind on anything, Sarah. I want to get to the bottom of what's troubling you." He didn't need for her to express her inconformity with his Leadership for him to know what bothered her, but he needed her to say it for public record. She simply did not agree that he should be there and Vera was not. He doubted she would go that far, as coy as she was acting. "This session isn't to dismiss you; it's for us to find a way to work together. Thus, your opinion does matter."

He could see her relax slightly and her jaw, previously tight, took on a more natural appearance. She must have been convinced she was being let go.

"I've made one mistake and you are making a big deal out of it," finally added Sarah. Her tone was flippant.

He internally sighed with relief. Finally, he was getting somewhere. But of course, she did not pinpoint the root of her problems to be his presence and Vera's absence; she took it in the direction he had anticipated.

"We all make mistakes. I've made them and you've made them before too. I didn't call you in here because you made a mistake. I called you in here because of your attitude after the mistake was made."

"I don't have an attitude. You're wrong." Sarah crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. Every aspect of her body language confirmed the opposite. She couldn't have been generating a more contradicting image to what she was saying.

"Let me explain myself." I won't let her win, he thought to himself. "I am talking about the incident that occurred last Thursday, less than a week ago, when Daisy called in sick and Mr. Wiggleton's booking was not protected. You were dismissive when asked what went wrong. That is what I am referring to."

He could see the color in her face rise to a reddish tone. She wasn't pleased to be reminded of the event.

"Dismissive?" Sarah questioned his choice of words even now, when he had spelled out the situation.

"Yes, Sarah. If I recall, your words were – 'I'm not expected to save this company every time something goes wrong. It's not my fault that Daisy isn't here. I can't be expected to pull miracles in minutes.'"

"I didn't say that." Sarah reacted with indignation, confident that she had said no such thing.

"Sarah, there were witnesses. I have signed statements from Anna Smith and Phyllis Baxter who were with us and they agree that that was what you expressed." He signaled to some sheets of paper that were set beside him. "But, I won't turn this meeting into a he said/she said debate. What I want is for us to agree on your job description. I have printed it out for you to read and sign, just so that we are clear on what your role is."

Sarah didn't blink as Mr. Bates continued talking. She was motionless in her seat, likely wishing she were anywhere but here.

"Were you hired as Scheduling and Logistics Coordinator?" Mr. Bates raised his eyebrows as he posed the question. When Sarah nodded in agreement, he moved the paper forward, where he had underlined the specific items that made her responsible for exactly what she had refused to do.

"Can you read that out loud, please?" He gestured to the highlighted text. "Just this will be fine."

Sarah's jaw was clenched again, and for a moment, John thought she would refuse, but she said it out loud, despite her misgivings.

"Creates bookings, as requested by customers, and manages the logistics from beginning to end, including, but not limited to, helicopter and crew appropriation and sourcing of required amenities. Communicates with all departments to ensure a smooth customer experience. Makes modifications to schedules in the event of customer request or intra company situations of _force majeure_." She looked up with a strained smile.

"Unless you don't understand what _force majeure_ means, I think we can both agree that your job does include saving the company, every time something goes wrong." He paused for effect, waiting for her to react. When she didn't, he continued. "Now that you have read this, if you want to continue working here, you will sign this copy, as your complete acceptance of your duties and responsibilities."

"What if don't want to sign the document?" Sarah squinted, reflecting deep thought as she contemplated her options.

"If you don't sign, it means that you do not agree with the roles and responsibilities of the position you were hired for. It means you no longer want to do the job and it means that you are effectively terminating your own employment with us."

John could hear the audible hitch in both Michael and Thomas' breathing as he made clear what her options were.

"So, you are sacking me?" Sarah's voice conveyed ire and surprise. He had just said the contrary.

"I am not sacking you Sarah. You are making the decision whether to stay or go. It's all in your hands."

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"He's such an arse and I can't believe Phyllis and Anna sold me out. They are such two-faced bitches." Sarah spat out with unhinged emotion.

"Steady girl. I've told you to keep yourself in check. Learn to play the game." He lit up a cigarette as he spoke. "Mr. Bates bested you in there. If you ask me, he won."

"Well, nobody asked you," she exclaimed. In the end, she had signed. She didn't know when Vera might be back to claim what was rightfully hers and she couldn't survive without the paycheck. She supported Vera, but she wasn't sure Vera would continue paying her salary if she were dismissed. She breathed in to calm herself and realized Thomas wasn't at fault for any of her situation.

"Even so. You know he can't sack you, right?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah was shocked to hear such a thing.

"He needs Vera's approval. I've seen the partnership papers. Strallan left them on his desk the other day. I made copies. Any hire, dismissal, change in pay status or substantial purchase requires signatures of both owners. She's still part owner. You signed for nothing." He puffed on his cigarette again.

"You could have told me this, you know, before we went in there…..?" Sarah was trying hard to contain her anger.

"It wasn't the prudent thing to do. Remember, Sarah – you need to be patient and play the game."

Sarah looked as confused as ever. "Patient for what?"

"For the tides to turn. I don't know when that will be, but something is bound to happen sooner or later." He emphasized his words, and then turned away. It was his way of confirming that nothing more would be said on the topic.

Used to his cryptic information and knowing she would get no more than that, she changed her course of conversation.

"I can imagine why Anna did it. She's eager to get my position. She would sell her soul to the devil if it meant she could take over for me. I don't understand Phyllis, though. I thought you had her in check."

"Phyllis is fine. You've no need to worry about her." Thomas said it with such assurance, and a tone of annoyance, that Sarah was confused.

"But she told on me…How is that fine?" Sarah's tone was laced with sarcasm.

"You can't very well accuse her of doing anything against you when the words you said were uttered in front of him and the intern, now can you? How can she recant when there are witnesses to her having witnessed your stupidity? Leave her alone. She's not to blame in this."

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"Gwen, can you come for a moment?" He put down the phone and waited.

John had spent the last two hours thinking about what was best for Gwen, given the new information he had. It was wrong of Richard to not give her any credit. He knew that Richard had worked tirelessly to get the account, but if what Anna said was true, it was Gwen´s words and actions that landed the account in the end.

He couldn´t just come out and state that he knew. The only other witness to this account was Anna and he couldn´t find a way to weave the information into the conversation without exposing her as the whistleblower. Gwen would never believe that now, after several weeks, Richard would come clean, especially not after he was publicly lauded for his efforts. Any suspicion on Anna would be detrimental to her work and could cause suspicion on their covert relationship. He would have to get Gwen to tell him and he´d have to be clever about it.

His assistant arrived with her notebook in hand, ready to take notes on whatever Mr. Bates wanted from her. She took her seat eagerly.

"You and I never really discussed the results of your Sales adventure. I left the event so quickly and only heard about it briefly afterwards. I thought, if you weren´t too busy, and you weren´t expecting any customers, that we could chat now."

She smiled. It was apparent to him that his question was well received.

"It was sensational. I appreciate so much that you let me have this opportunity." She was beaming and it appeared she had much to say on the matter.

"You deserved it. Was it what you expected?" he leaned back and let her talk.

"It was a lot of work. I don´t think I ever had the opportunity to sit down. We must have met hundreds of people. I finally figured out how to tell who was there for the giveaways, the participating academics who were just curious and the actual executives and decision makers. Their approach was very different. Richard mainly channeled the executives his way, while I managed the others."

"Were you able to participate in any of those conversations at all? Did you meet any important people?"

"I met Vinoth Patel from CONOCO EXPLORATIONS and Dennis Humboldt from the ENERGYBURST Corporation. I was able to listen in on one or two conversations, but it wouldn´t have been possible if we had tried for more. There were just so many people there at the same time. I don´t know how he was managing by himself before. If there aren´t two people there, when Richard is busy, we could lose opportunities. It doesn´t have to be me, and I don´t know if all events are the same, but I would suggest that you keep this formula for the future – two resources, plus somebody to be hostess, like Anna, and things would run much smoother."

He was pleased that she brought up Vinoth Patel. "I will consider it. I do think that we need to look more approachable."

After a second, John added to his last statement.

"What did you think of his work?" He hoped she would be forthcoming.

She flushed slightly and fidgeted in her seat. "He´s very good at talking to people. He did an excellent job. His Sales persona is very engaging."

She was being very kind. "Was he good to you and Anna?" He had also wondered if Gwen had seen or heard part of the assault. She was only a few feet away.

"Not any better or worse than the usual." She was straight-faced.

He couldn´t tell if she was trying to be facetious. "That doesn´t sound very nice of him."

"Richard is not a fan of mine. I don´t expect any niceties from him. He treated me well enough, given how upsetting it was for him that I was there. I was surprised, really. I thought he might be meaner, but he wasn´t."

"Was there any moment, any at all, in which you felt wronged by him?" This is it Gwen, he thought, tell me what he did to you. Tell me how he took all the credit for Vinoth´s decision.

"Wronged me? No, not that I can think of." John was not an expert on facial expressions, but he saw Gwen avert he eyes momentarily when giving her response. She was lying. The jovial spirit in her eyes was gone.

"Are you telling me the truth, Gwen? I like the way you work, and I want to see you grow here. I see a future in Sales for you. Please don´t hold anything back."

He did want her in Sales and had planned, once the partnership dissolution came through, that she should be promoted to Inside Sales representative, so that she could gain more experience before setting her out in the field. If he doubled his headcount in Sales, that might bring in more business. That and he didn´t have anybody else on staff that could take on the job with such enthusiasm. With Richard almost out the door, as would be expected when Anna made her accusation, it made sense to bolster the department with somebody with that much knowledge. She could help whatever Sales Manager he hired to take Richard´s place. There weren´t too many options of people with aviation knowledge unless he tried to poach somebody from a similar company and he wasn´t keen on stealing. She could keep the place running for a while.

"Yes, I am telling you the truth. Why would Richard wrong me? There isn´t anything to say against him." Her voice had passion in it and he sensed anxiety.

He wasn´t as clever in getting her to talk as he thought. He believed Anna, as she had no reason to invent this story and the things she said about the whole incident made sense to him. Gwen was protecting Richard and he wouldn´t understand why. He wouldn´t push her for the truth anymore. He couldn't reveal his knowledge. Not now. As soon as all was said and done, and Anna´s investigation was over, he would disclose what he knew and give her a bonus for her hard work.

"Good. I was just making sure. Thank you for all your hard work. I am sure we will talk about your role again in the near future."

The level of anxiety lessened and she looked relieved.

"Thank you."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Anthony, I know we can't do anything legally until the dissolution is settled, but, I've been wondering what is next for Anna, now that rotation ends this week, and I think I have the answer."

"Do you want to hire her?" Anthony looked serious, but there was a hint of happiness.

"I do, eventually." He couldn't of course, now that they had become intimate. It wouldn't be wise for either of them to work in the same place, and she had her investigative career. She wouldn't have wanted this job anyways. Anthony didn't need to know that. "She's still an intern, and will be for several more months. We don't have to make any decisions about her yet. I actually want to talk about Gwen."

"I thought you wanted to talk about Anna." Anthony appeared confused.

"Well, I want to talk about Gwen, but Anna is part of it. You see…Anna finishes the rotation at the end of this week. I could put her to do special projects, but I think it might be fairer if she takes over Gwen's position and I allow Gwen to spend some time as a Sales trainee. The London Transportation Trade Show is coming in a few weeks and I want to send her to that too. I think she ought to prepare. I might even find some Negotiating Skills training classes and set her up."

"That seems like a fine idea. Did you want to pay her more? Is that why you are waiting for the dissolution?"

"Yes. As soon as I can, I will want to promote her to an Inside Sales Representative position. We are growing and it is time that we change our structure. I have been thinking about it a lot lately and I'll want to dedicate her to our top accounts to provide a more personalized service. We almost lost Mr. Wiggleton, and CONOCO EXPLORATIONS is too important to mess up. I won't trust Sarah with them."

Anthony did not have to say anything. He understood completely where John was coming from. Sarah sat in near proximity to his team and he often heard her telephone conversations. He understood that she was there under Vera's protection, but hoped that John would change her to do something else in the near future, as she was not good with customer service and their livelihood depended on it. He was waiting for the right moment to suggest it to his boss. Now was not the time, as the dissolution would be a barrier to this too.

"And I want to give her a bonus. I have reason to believe that she helped acquire this account more than Richard would want to own up to. She needs to be compensated."

"Under the same formula as Richard?"

"I'll see to the amount in a few weeks. I need her to give me some more information and I will decide how much, then." John wanted Gwen to admit her part in getting the account before he agreed on the sum. He was prepared to pay her as much as Richard usually made. In his mind, fair was fair. Perhaps she hadn't confessed this time, but he would make her speak eventually.

Anthony was surprised at Mr. Bates' generosity. He had yet to calculate the contract's net worth, and commission for Richard was usually a flat amount, in thousand pound increments. The ratio was close to a $1000 pound bonus for every $50,000 pounds of contract. This was a major account. If he were to give her the full amount, Gwen would be able to buy a new car if she wanted, or put the down payment on a flat. Yet again, Anthony had to admire his boss. This was very kind indeed.

Just when Anthony thought that the conversation was over, he was surprised with John's generosity again.

"I have information about Edna." John looked at him with concern and care.

Anthony did not say anything, but acknowledged this with a nod. John understood it was his way of approving him to move ahead with the conversation.

"I know how much you've endeared yourself to this child. I wish that I didn't have to say this."

Anthony knew what John was going to say. He suspected little Michael wasn't his, but somewhere within, the thought that he could have a child filled him. It gave more meaning to his dull existence. He hadn't been allowed to spend much time with him, but the little time that he did, the little boy warmed his heart.

"Say it," Anthony exclaimed, resigned to hear the truth.

"The investigators have every reason to believe, through blood matching, that the boy couldn't be yours. We'll need a DNA test, for our findings to be legal, but they are pretty certain."

When Anthony made no response to this bit of information, John continued.

"It will be easier if you get a hair sample on your next visit, but if you don't want to, or can't, the investigators will do it. They have ways."

"I can't." He looked choked up. "If they promise to not hurt the child, let them do it."

"They are very kind people. I am pretty sure they can do it without hurting the child or making Edna any the wiser." When Anthony's sadness persisted, he concluded, "It's for the best, you know. You're doing the right thing."

"I know….but the right thing hurts."

0-0-0-0-0-0

What is she doing?" bellowed Charles as they followed Vera down another street. She´d been running errands, or shopping like mad, most of that morning. More than six boutiques had been visited and the whole time, Charles couldn´t imagine why she was spending that much money. How many new outfits did she need if she didn´t have a job to go to these days? He reckoned she was bored or employing retail therapy to help her against whatever rage or depression she might be facing from this situation. She didn´t look depressed or angry, though. She looked very self-possessed and walked about with delusions of grandeur.

"Well, there are no more fashionable boutiques down this Street - It´s all council buildings and the police station. She probably took a wrong turn." Elsie agreed with Charles, Vera was on a spending rampage. Elsie had only bothered to exit the car once, intent on trailing her, but quickly realized that the boutiques were too small to follow inside and Vera was not speedy with her decisions. She tried on many different outfits and there was only so much time she could loiter in front of a building before causing suspicion. She desisted, utilizing her binoculars, from the car, to continue with the observation. Vera amassed a sizeable amount of parcels and bags and for a second, Elsie thought she looked very Julia Roberts, spending and purchasing on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills from the Pretty Woman movie -except York was nowhere as chic and Vera was definitely not as pretty. There was also the noticeable absence of a dashing Mr. Richard Gere to pay for it all.

"Wait. I don´t think so. She´s parking in front of the police station." Charles had enough time to react and turn into an empty spot on the Street. They were about a block back, but they saw Vera descend.

"Is she really going inside?" Elsie was surprised and no sooner had she finished the statement, Vera disappeared into the two-story building. "You´ll have to go and follow her. I did the last time."

"Can't we do rock-paper-scissors?" The boredom was evident in his voice and there was no sense of urgency. This was the evidence that this case was dragging on too long.

"Charles Carson. Get your arse out of this vehicle and into that building immediately!" There was no contradicting his wife. When she used his full name, she meant business.

"Fine." He was already stepping out when he addressed his wife again. "What shall I say?"

"You´ll think of something, now hurry along or you'll not see anything."

What could he possibly come up with? What reason did he have to go inside? He knew the layout well enough, having been required as a witness for a case several years ago. He would have to get past the receptionist if he wanted to go inside.

He fidgeted outside the entrance for a few seconds as he came up with a reasonable excuse to access the premises. His reticence earned him a visual admonishment from his wife. She rolled down the windows of the car to flail her arms and action him forth. He harrumphed in response and went into the foyer. It wasn't the most convincing excuse, but it would do.

He smoothed down his shirt and tidied his hair as he addressed the receptionist in the information booth at the entrance. "Hello Madame. Who can I talk to about stolen property?"

The sour looking woman, obviously annoyed at the interruption, asked him coarsely, "Did you steal something?"

Feeling affronted, Charles sighed dramatically. "Is it likely that I would come in here if I had?"

"Hey, I´ve worked here 20 years and I have seen it all. Nothing surprises me anymore." Her eyeglasses were perched on the edge of her nose as she gave him a sarcastic answer.

"Well, no. I did not. I have come into possession of something that I believe may have been stolen."

"Stolen Property – Take that corridor and at the end of it, make a left. Second door on the right." She gestured towards the direction he should walk, and then looked back down towards her stack of paperwork. She didn´t acknowledge him any further, even when he responded with a "Thank You."

If he remembered correctly, the entire bottom floor, the area in which he was now traversing, had most of the civilian facing staff. A second floor housed investigators and administrative staff. Luckily, each area was well advertised. He passed by homicide and narcotics before he encountered stolen property, but he had not encountered Vera. The walkway was short and I no time at all, he had reached the end of a hall.

There were people everywhere, coming and going. There were the obvious employees, one or two private citizens like him and some folks he ventured to guess where there at her majesty's invitation.

"Psst. Silver Daddy. Over here." Charles heard somebody being called, but didn't fathom himself to be a silver anything and ignored the call. There were others in the hallway. He concentrated instead on turning his investigation elsewhere.

"Psst. Handsome. I'm talking to you. Turn around." This time, out of curiosity, he spun towards the noise, as he didn't see anybody else in the immediate audible vicinity. When he did, he caught the attention of a younger woman, in her mid-forties, with a really bad taste in clothes and even worse teeth. She was showing a lot of flesh and was wearing some very high and uncomfortable looking shoes. It didn't appear that she had run a brush through her hair in the last few days either.

"You look like you need my services. Care to join me in the bathroom for a quickie? For such a handsome looking man like you, it'll only be 60 quid."

She was a prostitute? Now her whole outfit made sense.

"Excuse me?" Was the only thing an indignant Charles could conjure to respond. Part of him was annoyed that she would solicit to him, at a moment like this, when he had a job to do, and in a place like this. A police station? He would have never imagined it. Another part of him, although he would never admit to it anybody, was mildly pleased to be called a "silver daddy". It had a flamboyant air to it, even if it was given to him by a lady of such a profession. Mostly, though, he was appalled. He'd never once approached a prostitute, not even when he was a gangly teen in the 1960's, dared by his more worldly classmates who had partaken of such activities. If he didn't then, why would he need to now? He had a wife - his goddess at home could service his needs for free - When she wanted to, of course. Why pay?

Sensing his discomfort, she continued with her verbal seduction. "Oh, don't play the offended card, big daddy. A stud like you must have needs." She had taken a couple of steps forward as she spoke and even dared to put her hand on his chest. "You know you want it. Let Sugar help you."

She put her mangy, dirty, hand on him! He could barely react. As his entire body stiffened, his eyes opened wide. She was close enough that he could smell her cheap cologne and fetid breath. It was a hideous combination. When she moved her hand up the lapels of his jacket, he reacted and pulled away forcibly.

"Thank you kindly for the offer, but, no. I don't want "it". Now, if you'll excuse me." He moved away with haste, walking briskly in the opposite direction. He turned back once; just to make sure wasn't following him and slowed his pace when he realized she wasn't. When he was a comfortable enough distance away, he stopped to reassess his whereabouts and his purpose. Why was he here? Right. Vera. She was the objective. Where was this woman?

He had walked far enough in the opposite direction to have passed into the other end of the hall, to the areas he hadn't yet seen. There were some small and hidden enclaves, but the most visible, as indicated by signage, were cybercrime and civil crime. He peeked into those rooms, scanning the entire area as thoroughly as possible. It was in Civil Crime, when he caught a glance of the orange dress she was wearing. It stood out from the insipid grey of the surroundings. She had her back to him as she sat at a desk, with a clerk, or maybe even a detective, and he was busy taking notes. He was too far away to ever catch what they were talking about. The only thing he could discern was her animated hand gesticulations. She seemed to be explaining something very detailed. She was up to something and Charles was concerned. Maybe Mr. Bates was right to be worried.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"The police? What was she doing there?" She ran her hand over her hair, concerned. Her voice was nervous and anxious. When she received the text from Elsie to call her urgently, Anna headed to the outside, on the tarmac to take the call.

"So we don´t know a thing?" She paused. "I see. Should I warn him?" Before Elsie could even answer, she answered herself. "Of course, I'll warn him." She waited for Elsie to stop talking again. "Will do. I´ll call you if I find out anything."

Great. Abso-frickin-lutely great, she thought to herself. What the hell is Vera planning? It drove her wild to not know anything at all. To think that he might be in danger left her in a panicked state. How could she concoct a meeting now?

She was isolated and working within the confines of the pilot´s lair, or crew lounge. She was preparing to fly with Michael to take place later that week. That was perfect, really, as he was one of the final four candidates for potential lover. She could observe him more closely than the sporadic times she had encountered him. She had now flown at least three times, but according to Michael, who only knew of two, she was on board as a passenger and had most likely not observed anything. He was right. She had seen the gauges and switches and buttons, but had not asked too many questions on their purpose. She'd already spent several hours on her own, on the web-based training tool he had set up for her, and some things were beginning to make sense. The intended ride along was for Thursday and today was Monday, so she had to be able to concentrate if she were to succeed. She would be embarrassed if she could not master the expected knowledge, yet, this new bit of information left her on edge. The thought of Mr. Bates dealing with police stunted her learning. Who could think of pitch and bank angle gauges at a moment like this?

She would have to worry about the technical components later. Now, she needed to go to him as discreetly as possible. After a slight moment of hesitation, she convinced herself that she would go straight to his office. She worked here, didn´t she? There was no reason that she could not be seen there. Nobody had any reason to believe their conversation was anything either than work related. Before heading out there, she wrote _"I have important information regarding Vera that you should know now. Can we talk?" _on a piece of paper and hid it in her pocket.

She walked across the rest of the office space and observed everybody minding their own business. Sarah was on the phone, Richard´s door was closed, and through the Accounting enclosure she could hear typing. People were working, not noticing her. Gwen was the only one absent and she didn't even worry about that.

"Mr. Bates, may I ask you a question about the emergency latch on Sophia?" She made sure her intent was clear enough, in case anybody could overhear, when she knocked on his door to get his attention. He smiled at her, since he could tell there was nobody else around. It was a beautiful smile and it warmed Anna´s heart.

"Of course. Come in." As she took a seat, he asked, "What has you stumped?" He realized what she was doing and was playing along.

She pushed the paper forward and answered the first thing that came to her mind. "Is it as easy to maneuver as the webinar states?" She furrowed her brow. She felt stupid for asking and her expression reflected that sentiment.

He looked up, after reading the note, and she could tell that her words left him anxious. He took a pen and started to write a response, but answered her in the meantime. "The latch can be quite tricky. It is more about the correct angle of movement, rather than force. Many a brute pilot has broken one during training."

Anna read, "_I´ll make sure everybody is busy and I will come to you as soon as I can."_

"Thank you. I thought so. I´ll go back to my learning now." She stood up to leave. She saw his insecurity coming to the surface and she tried to give him a reassuring look, but she wasn´t sure how effective it would be. She would be worried too after a note like that.

As she was walking back to the crew room, she encountered Gwen and was pulled into the kitchen. She was not given a chance to react properly to this ambush when Gwen was already speaking.

"I´m such an idiot, Anna." Gwen sported a worried look to match her words.

"Why, what have you done?" Anna reached out to touch her shoulder, hoping that her touch could calm the girl down.

"I lied to Mr. Bates to his face and I think he could tell. He´s going to hate me now."

"How did that happen?"

"He asked me if there was any way that Richard had wronged me and I said no."

Anna worried that Mr. Bates might have taken their weekend conversation about the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account and discussed it with Gwen, but it didn't seem likely. The girl would have already said something if it had been so.

"Why wouldn´t you tell him the truth?" She hoped Mr. Bates didn´t think she had lied about it herself.

"I don´t know. I guess I am afraid that if Richard finds out that I told Mr. Bates, I will never get admitted to Sales and if I was, he would find a way to ruin my work there. I´d rather not get him in trouble, because it would be trouble for me in the future."

Poor Gwen. If only she knew what was in Richard´s future, she wouldn't worry. Anna couldn't ease her mind with this knowledge, no matter how much she wanted to help her friend.

"How do you know that he knows?"

"There was something in the way he was looking at me. I caught a momentary look of disillusionment in his eyes. He's helped me so much. I just don't want to let him down."

"Silly girl. You could never let him down. He thinks highly of you."

"He does?" Gwen was relieved to hear such words from Anna.

"Yes." Anna saw Gwen's face contort slightly.

"How would you know what he thinks of me? When did he tell you?" There was suspicion drawn on her face.

_Oh Lord. How stupid of me_, thought Anna. She nearly gave herself away. John had spoken very positively about Gwen during the weekend and had expressed high hopes for her further development. That's how she knew. How could she match that knowledge to the few times she'd spent any time with him that were public knowledge? And why would he ever confide in her?

Anna's mind thought quickly. "He didn't tell me specifically, but he doesn't have to. When we flew to Highclere, with Haley, he couldn't stop talking to all the people about how his assistant had organized everything. He was so proud of all of the positive comments. You did everything. It was all you. And… on our way back from dropping off Mr. Wiggleton in Manchester, he did say that you were on top of everything and he wished others in the office were half as good as you were."

Gwen's face relaxed. "He said that?"

"Yes, he did. Now, would he say that if it weren't true? Has he ever exaggerated or been false?" Anna was pleased that she had steered Gwen away. She'd have to be more careful in the future.

"No, he hasn't"

"There you go. Stop worrying. Do your job as best as you can. I doubt he's going to hate you."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Anna was so concentrated on the lesson she was taking that she didn't hear the door open, or Mr. Bates' steps as he walked towards her. She was facing the computer screen, away from the line of sight to the door. It wasn't until the scent of his cologne wafted around her that she questioned her sanity. She smelled the musky aroma, but did not automatically assume that he was in the same room with her. She convinced herself she was dreaming, her desire for him causing deceptions in her senses. She paused her learning to enjoy this delusion, to remember the way it felt to have his body flush against hers. She closed her eyes, leaned back against her chair and moaned slightly.

John heard the noise she made and he felt a tingling inside him. Lord, this was torture. He desperately wanted to touch her. He leaned in, close to her ears and whispered, "It's driving me crazy to not to be with you." His words sent a chill down her spine. At first she believed it was her senses still toying with her, but as she opened her eyes and saw him standing slightly behind her, her natural reaction was to be startled by his presence. She pushed her chair back, without much thought, bumping against him in the process. Excited and shocked, she jumped from her chair. One of her hands was pressed against her abdomen, and the other against her chest, as she sought to control her breathing.

"You startled me, Mr. Bates," she chuckled, "and I've hurt you." She was more embarrassed that he had caught her groaning alone as she remembered him. She wouldn't want him to think she was some sort of obsessive that couldn't contain herself.

"I'm so sorry. It wasn't my intention," he confirmed as he rubbed his leg. She missed hitting his hip, so, it was nothing to be worried about. Her reaction made him regret that he had surprised her in the first place. He didn't want her to think he was a stalker.

Anna surveyed the surroundings, to make sure they were truly alone before she whispered, "It's driving me crazy too. If we weren't here, I'd want to kiss you."

He grinned at her response, elated that she felt the same way. It made him feel better for being so foolish. They just stood there, grinning at each other and not saying anything. Time could have stood still and neither would object, but there was a reason he had come. Best to get on with whatever disagreeable news regarding Vera was needed to be shared.

"You said you had some news."

"I do. Should we walk outside?" she offered as an option, but was not very convinced that they should be outside. It wouldn't be natural for them to walk out together like that and William and Tom might see them.

"No, we can stay here. I made sure everybody is busy. We have at least 15 minutes before we're interrupted."

Anna looked doubtful, having working long enough in this office to know that there was always somebody about.

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

"I asked Gwen to write some letters for me and told her I needed them immediately. She won't be in here. Anthony is in the conference room with Thomas and Phyllis, reviewing the month's expenditures. I told them I needed a full report in half an hour. They'll be working like mad to get it done. I made Sarah put together a list of all of the business we've had from our top three clients in the last year, much to her disgust, and I told her I needed it in an hour. Richard is gone for the day, visiting the Wakefield Corporation in Sheffield and all our pilots are busy, so, yes, I am sure."

With his very confident words, Anna had no more misgivings about the location of their conversation and proceeded to tell him what Elsie and Pops had seen that day. His body and brain went numb after Anna's words, but he was not surprised. This was Vera, and she had threatened him before.

"There's a reason I asked for the continued surveillance and you've just confirmed I was justified in my paranoia."

Anna wasn't sure how to respond to that. She didn't consider him paranoiac one bit. "Do you have any idea what she could be talking to the police about?" was all she could conjure to say.

"Unless she's trying to convince them to repeal the non-molestation order I have against her, I have no idea. I've never hurt her, so she cannot be accusing me of assault. She couldn't possibly come up with the physical evidence for that."

The missing money that Joe had told her about came to mind. She didn't know if it had anything to do with him, but wouldn't want to assume the contrary. They hadn't discussed it on their trip either. She asked very vaguely.

"Are all your finances in order?"

He looked perplexed at the question, but answered it nonetheless. "As far as I am aware, yes."

"Then, there's nothing to worry about, is there?" Anna reached out to hold his hand and lowered her face so that he could not see how worried she was. She was not convinced by her own words and she hated not having the answers. They should have known by now what Vera was up to.

Mr. Bates was just as unsure as she was, but had nothing else to offer on the subject. He answered only out of politeness.

"I guess there is not."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Charles was already in bed, reading a novel, when Elsie came out of the washroom in the light and airy nightgown that he loved. It hugged her curves just so, and it was easy to dispose of when one was in a hurry. She was ready to sleep now and came promptly to the bed, upturning the covers to join her husband. He realized his wife had no intention of reading when she snuggled into her pillow. He didn't mind, at all. He mimicked her actions and put away his book, then turned off the lights.

His incident with Ms. Sugar had left him feeling guilty. Even though he had shunned her advances, he hadn't told Elsie about her and it felt illicit to keep it from her. He hadn't intended too. The moment he got into the car, the conversation regarding Vera took precedence and then he just forgot. Later, it was just difficult to bring it up. As his guilt increased, so did the desire for his wife. He shifted his position, to be on his side. She was lying flat on her back and it was a perfect view of her silhouette. He would never tire of it. He placed his hand on her hip and started massaging inwards – feather light touches, hoping to get her in the mood.

"You know Mr. Bates wants us to get the DNA sample for the child?" Elsie asked without acknowledging his movements.

It was not what he expected at all. Deflated, but not deterred, he attempted to ward off the conversation.

"Yes, and we'll have to think of something, but not tonight. We can talk tomorrow." He put his lips on her neck and sucked gently. He waited for a reaction, any sign that she was amenable for some quality time together. There was none.

"You know, I'm worried about Anna," was the next thing she said.

He let out a breath, disillusioned that she would still want to chat.

"Really, why?" He didn't want to have a conversation, but he couldn't really ignore her. He decided to try again and kissed her, closer to underneath her ear, where she was highly sensitive. His lips hovered in the area. This ought to distract her, but it didn't.

"I may not be her mother, but I've mothered her enough years to know her and I think she's gotten in over her head. If you ask me, she's besotted with Mr. Bates."

He pulled away to process what she had just said. Anna with Mr. Bates? They were worried once before, when the initial information regarding his sexual harassment case became known to them. Anna had defended him vehemently. They put off any conversations after that, assured that he was not a pervert.

"How so? She knows it's against our rules to fraternize with the customers." He wouldn't believe his sensible Anna could go against something so basic. She wasn't the type to go against convention and they had discussed it through the years. He was pretty sure she would never do something like that.

Elsie shifted to face him. Their night time vision had already adjusted and although it was dark, she could make out the worried crease that had developed on his forehead.

"That may be so, but that doesn't stop her from developing feelings for him."

"What makes you say that now? Did something happen?" Elsie tended to talk to Anna more than he did, and he agreed that if either of them were to pick up on changes in Anna's behavior, it would be Elsie.

"Every time we talk about him, she becomes jittery and nervous. When I told her about Vera's trip to the police station, she was shaken. I'm sure that working for him in such close proximity would create affection, or perhaps loyalty, but I get the feeling that this is more than that. She's definitely harboring feelings for him."

"And what do you want to do about it? Should we talk to her?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good thing. She would probably deny it. What we have to do is finish this case so that we can get her out of there."

Charles lay pensive for a moment, reflecting on his wife's words. They would have busy days if they were to accelerate. There was the baby DNA, continuing to trail Vera, and maybe even trailing the lover candidates. That meant a lot of time out on the street. He better get a good night sleep if they were to achieve it.

Charles shifted, intent on moving back to a sleeping position when Elsie's voice called out to him again.

"Are you not going to finish what you started?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tomorrow was Thursday. It was hard to imagine that so many days had already passed since their weekend together. It seemed like only yesterday they were walking hand in hand in the forest, lying together underneath the stars, sharing delicious physical exertions. Seeing him every day in the office helped, even when they could only chance a longing glance at best. Since her slip up with Gwen, Anna had been extra careful to not let her eyes wander when he was near and he had shown restraint as well. Just knowing he was safe and close-by, was what she needed to feel reassured. Hearing his voice from a distance soothed her and gave her the patience she needed to endure their separation. Thus, she was well aware, as he was, that seeing each other again so soon was out of the question. They had talked about it before leaving the solitude of the forest. They had been given an opportunity to share amazing time together, yet neither of them believed that another opportunity would come as swiftly as this one had. It was best to be prudent and not take any further risks until a conclusive determination on his divorce came from the court.

Their separation did not mean that they could not communicate, though. They had reverted to using sneaky twitter in the meantime. Their abstract and vague tweet commentaries continued, publishing comments only the other could understand.

"**CASTLE BOLTON IS AN AMAZING PLACE #manyfondmemories #wanttogoback**" he posted. Anna nearly cried with emotion when she read that. He couldn't stop thinking about their helicopter tryst. It meant just as much to him as it did to her.

She responded immediately in kind.

"**STARGAZING IS SO INSPIRING #manyfondmemories #wanttodoitagain**." She hoped he would understand just what that weekend meant to her and that she was busy recalling her own memories. She had even used the same hashtag he had.

When she heard the notification of another tweet come in again, she was ecstatic for only two seconds. At first believing it could be from Mr. Bates, she was disappointed, then appalled, when she saw another note from her cyber-troll. Joe had not cracked the algorithm yet and they were not any closer to hacking the account. She still did not know who this person could be. incognitohelper was at it again.

"**YOU BOTH WENT AWAY FOR THE WEEKEND. WILL YOU NOW HEED MY WARNING?"**

Who the hell was this person who kept harassing her? The troll was achieving getting Anna anxious. She shouldn't allow herself to fall prey, but incognitohelper knew about their weekend together. Anna didn't know what to make of that. They'd been extra careful. How could anybody possibly know?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She pulled into the car park, excited for her trip. In about an hour, the other passengers would arrive and she would get to see one of their famous oil rig operations from beginning to end. Michael had reviewed the flight plan with her and Jack Ross would be their copilot. Her place would be on the third pull down seat, between them, so that she could observe everything they did on the trip. Questions would be allowed, but not while they were taking off or landing. Once they were in the air, they were free to talk. Their route would take them from York to the Bridlington Compound to collect more passengers, then on to oil rig #44. Anna was pleased to also get to land at the other Bates' property she had only ever heard of. Gwen had also given her encouragement and plied her with tips and recommendations, learned from her own trip almost two years ago. She was as ready as she needed to be.

She scanned the vehicles in the lot as she made her way to the office. She'd managed to slip the remaining two GPS contraptions on to William and Richard's cars just yesterday morning and it also felt good to be making progress in that respect. The investigation would get a boost now that tracking was possible.

Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm when she made it into the office. Her love, Mr. Bates, was chatting amiably with Gwen at the redhead's desk. He seemed in good spirits. The slight worried frown he'd taken to wearing the last couple of days was gone and that made her content. She had worried about taking off for a whole day when his situation was not yet resolved, but seeing him carefree this morning boosted her confidence.

"Well look at you, all dressed and ready to make your first official oil rig run!" he commented wittingly, and Gwen chuckled enthusiastically. They must have noticed that she came to work wearing the blue pantsuit she had earned when she worked in the hangar. She thought it appropriate given what she would do today. If it made him share in a joyous moment, she truly didn't care if they were making fun of her. All she wanted to was to see him laugh.

"Are you nervous?" Gwen asked when she had had her fill of laughing.

"No. Maybe a little excited, but not nervous." This would now be her fourth helicopter trip. She was no expert, but she felt steadier and knew what to expect.

"Wait, what are those people doing?" Gwen exclaimed as she looked out the window and into the car park. Two cars had assembled and stationed their vehicles right in front, but not in an actual spot designated for customers. If there was something that Gwen detested, it was disorder. She wouldn't have any of it on their premises. "These must be new people who haven't flown with us before. Let me go tell them to move their cars before they get too comfortable." She charged out before either of them could say anything.

Her very determined demeanor caused both Anna and Mr. Bates to laugh. Gwen's enthusiasm was contagious.

"So, how are you?" Anna dared asked in her flirty voice, comfortable that nobody was around to hear her. The memory of last night's tweets still fresh in her mind.

"I'm good. And you?" he returned the question, with just as cheeky a grin as she had given him. He was trying to find something else to say that might keep her in his presence just a while longer, but they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening as Gwen came back in.

"Mr. Bates," she exclaimed, and the agony in her voice could not be disguised. Her expression was pained.

They both turned as Gwen called and noticed she was flanked by two men in suits. Overdressed and sporting unfriendly expressions, they were definitely not the passengers that they were expecting. They seemed to be in a mood. Before she could say anything else, one of the two men spoke.

"Are you John Bates?" Was asked by the man who appeared to be in charge.

"Yes?" answered a hesitant and bewildered Mr. Bates, clearly not understanding who they were or what they were doing there. "How can I help you?" he added, wondering if these were new clients he needed to be friendly towards.

"You are under arrest for embezzlement."

* * *

><p><strong>AAN: Oh My! What is Vera up to? What will Anna do now? Stay tuned for the next chapter. **

**Thank you to all the lovely reviewers and readers. Your words will surely help me get over this slump****. **


	16. Prison Blues

**Happy Holidays my dear readers. Words – 9K. I left you last chapter with a cliffhanger and I think the chapters will only get more crazy from here on in….**

**Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I am finally up to date in thanking those that have left me named reviews. To all my guest reviewers – since I cannot thank you personally, I'll just say you are all rock stars and your comments are fabulous. I appreciate them very much. **

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Oh God Matthew, I am so happy to see you." The impeccably dressed lawyer strode into the cramped holding cell where John waited. He'd already been there two hours and all he'd been told was that there was evidence against him for fraud against his own company, yet when he'd demanded to see the proof, he was ignored. So much for his rights, he thought. He should at least be provided this basic information. His attitude did not sit well with those in charge and after, he couldn't get any of the detectives to pay attention to him. Matthew's arrival gave him a bit of hope. He was half tempted to embrace the man, but thought it not proper.

"What happened John? I was shocked when Gwen called me." His habitual amiable smile was replaced with deep etched concern. It mirrored his mood. Pleasant Matthew was replaced with no-nonsense Matthew. He hadn't seen that side of his lawyer yet, and it gave him odd comfort.

"I don't really have all the details. I've only been told that there is evidence that I was defrauding Bates Airlift, but they have not shown me anything." John couldn't help but flail his hands.

"Yes, that is what I have been told initially. I've already set up a meeting with the prosecutor. He'll have to provide everything he has against you so that we can have all the facts." Matthew observed John for any outward signs of trickery and seemed to be having trouble with what he wanted to say. "John, I have to ask and whatever your answer, I'll still represent you, but I need to know. Have you done this that you are being accused of?"

His lungs filled with air, ready to scream his denial as loud as he could. If anybody believed he was capable of this, he would be lost. Matthew meant well, he knew, and he shouldn't balk at answering. "Absolutely not," he responded with certainty. "I have not ever, knowingly, done anything to jeopardize Bates Airlift."

Matthew let out a breath, relieved to hear the truth. "Have you done anything, even innocently, that could be misconstrued?"

"All I know is that Vera visited the police earlier this week. Anna told me. She's behind it Matthew, I know she is. Vera is responsible for this. "

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Anna looked around the boardroom with desperation. Every Bates Airlift employee was assembled there. She didn't want to be here, not now. All she could think of was him and how she had failed him. She felt like suffocating under the weight of the worry she was carrying on her shoulders. Her first instinct was to run out behind him, but the policemen stopped her and Gwen from coming any closer as they put on his handcuffs. The sound of the clicking of the metal kept replaying in her mind. All Anna and Gwen could do was hold each other's hands for support - to feel grounded as they observed the whole situation. Mr. Bates was stoic through it all. He'd not fought against it and actually walked out into the foyer on his own. At no time did he make eye contact with Anna and while she understood that there were people there, she felt this as an absence in her heart. But she wasn't the important one and her feelings didn't matter. He and his future were at stake and knowing that she didn't prevent this, even when they knew Vera was up to something, made her feel responsible.

All the commotion had enticed those few others who were already in the office to come forth and others arrived in the process. His embarrassment was complete when the majority of his employees witnessed his shame. Anthony, through the shock, had the correct mindset to call out to him and tell him they would contact Matthew Crawley. Mr. Bates acknowledged this with a tilting of his head. Sarah was in shock, but there was a hint of satisfaction on her face. Phyllis appeared as forlorn as Gwen and Anna. Tom was incredibly supportive, yelling out to him that he shouldn't worry about his birds and that he would take care of all of them until he came back. The others were mostly unreadable.

Immediately after, Anthony, Richard and Michael, the higher level employees, had gotten together and discussed the situation behind closed doors. Everybody else was called in about ten minutes later.

"We - Michael, Richard and I - thought it a good idea if we all got together for a quick conversation to discuss what just happened." The three men were standing in the conference room, their faces weary with worry.

"Is it true Mr. Bates was just arrested?" asked a clueless Alfred, who incredibly, had missed the whole spectacle.

"Yes, that is true, and all we know is what the policemen said who took him. He was arrested for embezzlement, but I ask you to refrain from speculating as we do not know anything beyond that. Matthew Crawley, our firm's lawyer, has been called. He will report back to me as soon as he has a better understanding of what this all means."

"What will happen to the company now?" Gwen asked, and the red rims around her eyes gave away how emotional she was.

"Will we be sacked?" added Jimmy. His question, although impertinent, was at the forefront of everyone's thinking and was welcomed by most.

Anthony looked calm before answering. "Nothing will happen for the time being. We should all do as we would on a normal day. We don't have any answers and Mr. Bates could be back tomorrow. It wouldn't make sense for us to think this is Armageddon."

"Ha, you all think he'll be back tomorrow? You heard the police – he was arrested for embezzlement. Serves him right. He was making us think he was so pious and fair and look what he turned out to be – a thief!" Sarah offered, very confident of her words.

The whole room held their breath when she said that. He wasn't there to defend himself, but Anna felt she would explode. How dare this vulgar excuse for a woman insult him that way! She was about to shut her up, but Michael Gregson beat her to it.

The color on Michael's face reddened. He was visibly angered by the comments too.

"He may not be here to defend himself, but I will not allow you to disparage him in that manner. He is innocent until proven guilty, and I personally, do not believe him capable of doing anything against this company. He built it from nothing, and has invested his life in making it what it is. You can have whatever opinion you like, but NOBODY, will be allowed to talk about him in that manner on these premises." By the time he was finished, he had elevated his tone considerably.

Anna was relieved that Mr. Bates had loyal collaborators. Michael was one of the last four potential lovers and after his impassioned defense, she found it hard to believe that he could be the one to be going behind his back to mess with Vera.

"You're not my boss, Michael," was all she said in response. She was unfazed by his comments.

"No, but in Mr. Bates' absence, I am," added Anthony. "I have power of attorney to represent Mr. Bates in certain situations, and that makes me your boss. Everybody in this room will abide by what Michael just said." He was rarely strong in his mannerism, but his attitude and countenance showed that he meant business and was not to be contradicted.

The mood, already sour since the arrest, did not get any better after the meeting. They were all miserable, but tried to put on a pleasant face. Customers started to arrive for the oil rig run that Anna was supposed to be on and life went on. Flying so far away, on that day, as she was supposed to, was the last thing Anna wanted. She had been looking forward to this flight, but now, she would give anything to get out of it. Since he was taken away, she had been going over in her mind on how to pull away and find an excuse to leave the office. She wanted to concentrate on finding out more information, but she couldn't leave just yet. After deliberating with Anthony, then Michael, she got her way when it was decided Anna would not accompany them that day. It would be rescheduled. She had argued that if they got any news at all and "hands" were needed to help defend him, she would be more useful in the office and they agreed. She saw Michael, Jack, and a full load of refinery employees pull away on Grace and she breathed in a sigh of relief.

It was time to start looking for answers.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Anna had managed to leave early, feigning illness, which was not too far from the truth. She was on the verge of throwing up all morning, the horror of watching him being led away, playing dreadfully within her body. She had gone as far as retching in the loo, provoked in the same way that millions of bulimics managed, by putting her finger down her throat and inciting her gag reflex. She had to make it sound as believable as possible. She hated doing this, especially since she had convinced Anthony to let her stay from the flight so that she could be of help, but she was convinced that she would be more useful on the outside. Gwen insisted she leave, and she was escorted to her car by Phyllis, who was very helpful, but whose facial expression led Anna to believe that the woman was not happy she was leaving. Anna felt as if Phyllis was condemning her for a lack of loyalty. It was strange, but Anna persisted and left anyway.

Her first reaction was to drive to Matthew Crawley's office, but she determined that it would be futile. If he was a good lawyer, which she hoped, he would be at the jail trying to get him released on bond. She had no right to call him, as he didn't know about her and Mr. Bates' involvement. He was aware that she was his private investigator, but that only went as far as Vera's infidelity. He had no way of knowing that she was willing to stay on until they got to the bottom of it. She needed to know the particulars of the case against him so that she could start working and the only way she could think of making that happen was by getting Mary and Robert to intervene. Robert was probably listed as Mr. Bates' contact, in the absence of a next-of-kin. She was desperate to get word to him too.

Once at the pub, she explained to them what had happened. Neither had heard yet.

"This has Vera written all over it," Robert sputtered angrily as he paced from side to side behind the bar. Thankfully, it was early enough in the day that there were hardly any clients that could overhear. "She threatened to annihilate him if he ever filed for divorce."

"Yes, I believe that is the case. I will continue investigating, but I need to know from Matthew what is going on." Anna turned to Mary. "Can you please call him and get him to come down here?"

"Me? Why?" She was visibly shaken at having been asked to take on this task. "Papa should call him. I've not heard from him in almost ten days. It would be awkward if I did."

"Really, Mary? You are going to worry about that now?" Robert took the words from Anna's mouth and spared her the anxiety of convincing her friend. Then he took it a step too far. "Awkward was when you started seeing him, him being a cousin and all. This is an emergency. You need to call him now."

Anna's eyes just widened in response to what Robert had said. If they weren't facing the situation they were in, she would have already excused herself and let them be. Those were private conversations not meant to be heard by anybody else.

Mary was not pleased with her father's rhetoric, but was prudent enough to not continue the conversation. She gave in easily after that. "Fine. I'll get him on the phone, but one of you has to talk to him. It won't be me." She huffed and postured discontent as she pulled her mobile from her pocket. She curled her lips in protest as she found his name in the directory and dialed.

"He'll probably see it's me and won't pick up." No sooner had she said that, when her eyes widened in disbelief. He had apparently answered. "Hello Matthew, its Mary." They couldn't tell what he was answering, but Mary smiled, bashfully and Anna could see her friend's eyes light up. Before too long, Mary answered back. "Well, that's nice to hear, but listen… I am here with Anna and my father and we were hoping to talk to you about John. Are you too busy to meet with us?" Mary flailed her hands in excitement and Anna knew that he had agreed or something just as equally exciting was happening. "Thank you. See you soon."

So much for handing him off for somebody else to speak to. Mary was a real enigma sometimes. She looked positively glowing.

"So….?" questioned a flustered Anna.

"He was driving back from the jail and is actually close by. He'll swing by quickly. He should be here in about ten minutes."

"Lucky us, then," declared Robert nervously.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Matthew, I mean to help."

"Well, we have a research department at the firm. They are part of our services for John. You would be overstretching yourself. It may not be necessary." Matthew was not trying to be mean, but he only knew of Anna and her Godparents as experts on infidelity investigations. They were not used to cases of this caliber and Mr. Bates needed experts.

"Matthew, I've had a head start on this. I've been embedded in his firm and have dozens of hours of Vera's conversations, copies of all of her files, and financials on both Vera and John and most of their employees. Your team will never catch up to what I have." She was trying to make sense to him. She already had the puzzle pieces and just needed to be able to put the pieces in the correct order. They didn't need somebody to amass the puzzle pieces all over again. She also doubted they had a hacker like Joseph Molesley. As annoying as he could be, nobody was better than him.

"Then why don't you turn over your material so that we can? I am sure you wouldn't want to stunt his investigation."

Anna looked horrified. The thought had never crossed her mind that Matthew might have others investigating and that she could be deemed unworthy.

"Tell him why you need to stay on this case Anna," Robert suggested. "He's bound by lawyer confidentiality. He couldn't say a thing if you did." Robert put his hand on her shoulder and she felt comforted.

Could she really tell him about their relationship? Was it in their best interest? If Mr. Bates hadn't told his solicitor, did she have a right to?"

"Wait Anna….Remember, he's not your solicitor, he's John's. I am not sure that if you say anything, he's bound to keep it to himself," Mary interjected, protecting her friend. She might have not studied law itself, but they'd both taken business law classes at school and something of what they learned popped in to her head.

Matthew just looked on as the others seemed to have this conversation amongst themselves where they all knew a secret and he was the only one who wasn't aware. It was uncomfortable.

"Is that true, Matthew?" asked Anna, glad that she hadn't spoken immediately and that Mary had the clarity to think of such an important detail.

"In a roundabout way, she is right. I am bound to protect his privilege. Of course I wouldn't just talk about anything that you want to share with me, but….depending on what you have to say, if it is told to me in conversation, and the police question me for any reason whatsoever, it is not bound by the same privilege unless you are my client and it was discussed as part of a consultation."

"Oh bother," added Robert, flustered that there were so many little details to circumnavigate. "Can't you just become her solicitor? Let's get on with it for John's sake." He opened his arms in a silent imploration, his facial expression urging Anna on.

Matthew turned towards Anna, spurred on by Robert's attitude.

"Anna, do you already have a solicitor?" Matthew asked directly.

"No." Anna answered truthfully. She'd never needed one as an adult. The last time she encountered a lawyer was when her inheritance trust fund was set up and her parent's last will was read.

"Fine, then give me a quid as a retaining fee and I'll legally be your lawyer." Matthew wondered why it was so necessary to go through this charade. What Anna had to say better be worth it.

Anna searched her bag and found a pound coin and handed it over.

"Thank you. This should be adequate payment." He grinned at his sarcasm and turned towards Mary, whose face did not reflect the same. She hadn't thought he was funny. He addressed Anna instead. "So, what is this secret that I must know?"

Anna was nervous. Telling a friend that you are involved with a man was one thing, but telling strangers made it more real and more hazardous. A friend could comfort you when something went wrong, but strangers who knew would make you feel foolish and a failure if it didn't work out. They hadn't been dating long either. She couldn't even say she was dating him, to be honest. He wasn't even her boyfriend. Still, she needed to be involved in this investigation and maybe have access to him and only Matthew could manage that. She wouldn't keep this from him.

"Mr. Bates and I are involved." When Matthew didn't react, she reckoned he didn't understand fully what that meant. "My relationship with him is that of more than business associate or friends," she added, hoping that the additional clarification made it easier to understand.

Matthew finally caught on. It was evident in the way his gaze shifted to scan the room and silently question Mary. When she didn't react to his movements, he turned again to Anna. "You are lovers?" he asked, with trepidation.

It was true that they were, but Anna had never quite heard it said that way. "Yes, if that's what you want to call it." Explaining anything further was not necessary. He didn't have to know any of the hurdles they faced, how recent their relationship was, or what they felt for one another. All he needed to know was that they were connected. "I just want to help and I just want to clear his name. I've done more than infidelity investigations if that's what worries you. I've done missing persons and the odd tracking of stolen property. I need to be involved and I need to have access to him, or I think I'll die." The emotion in her voice had reached a crescendo and by the time she finished, her voice cracked on the word die. Water accumulated around the rims of her eyes.

"I'll have to talk to him, to make sure that he agrees, but fine. I'll use you as my main investigator. I agree that somebody with a stake in the results is more motivated to do whatever it takes."

"When will he be able to come home? Asked Robert, shifting the conversation away from Anna and letting her have moment to compose herself.

"Home?" Matthew questioned.

"Yes. He has considerable assets. He should be able to post bail and be released temporarily. When he does, please tell him he can come home with me and Cora. He'll need to be among people who care for him."

"I agree, but unfortunately, the police do not. The purported amount he has defrauded is in the millions and he is considered a flight risk. John owns a helicopter company. He could go anywhere, at a moment's notice, and nobody could stop him. The authorities have ruled that he should not be granted this privilege of release."

There was a collective gasp at this news. He wouldn't be able to leave? They hadn't anticipated this setback.

"Poor John," added Mary, when Anna and Robert were rendered too speechless to say anything themselves.

"I'll want to see him," begged Anna. "I'm not sure how to manage it since our being together is a secret, but I want to try."

"I'll want to visit him too," Robert added. "He needs to know he is not alone and that we will not abandon him."

"I'll ask him when I see him tomorrow. I'll be getting the details of the evidence against him in the morning and sharing it with him later on in the day."

Knowing Matthew would see him again so soon was a godsend. She needed to communicate with him. "If I write something now, would you hand it to him?" Before he could even answer, she was already rummaging for paper in her handbag.

"Yes, I can do that."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"He what?" bellowed Charles as Anna stood before him and Elsie.

"He's been arrested, Pops. They say it was embezzlement."

"Well, that's the end of that," said Elsie and she shrugged her shoulders.

"What's the end of that?" asked Anna, confused by her Godmother's stance. It appeared Elsie was giving up on the case.

It was not lost on Elsie that Anna looked defensive, proving her intuition right. "I mean, darling, that our case is effectively over if he has been jailed."

"It is not over," railed Anna.

Pops now began to realize that what Elsie had said the other night about Anna was true. She was emotional when she spoke of their client. He had never seen her act that way about any other of their cases. "Darling, it is over," he added. "We can wait and see what happens, but, with Mr. Bates in jail, how do you suppose we will get paid?"

"I can't believe you two would think about money at a time like this!" Anna added, more flustered than the last comment she made.

Charles and Elsie looked at each other. Wordlessly, they agreed on their approach of the situation. Anna's infatuation with him had to stop and she needed to come clean about whatever feelings she had for him.

"Darling, we are not a non-profit organization. We need to think about money all the time, since it is what allows us to live. I feel for the man, I truly do, but I am not sure that we can continue." Elsie was sweet and hoped that her pleasantness could calm Anna down.

"I will pay you to continue with the case if necessary." Anna was tense and her words bitter. She never thought she would have to get to this point with her Godparents, but she would not desist.

"We would never take your money, dear. If you feel compelled to continue with this investigation, knowing there is nothing in it for us, you would have to give us a reason to do so."

Elsie walked toward Anna, who had lowered her gaze. She lifted Anna's chin and could see her lips visibly wobbling.

"Tell us, darling, why should we continue with the investigation? Is there something we need to know about Mr. Bates?" She looked at directly into her God-daughter's eyes as Pops stared on. "Mmm? Anything we need to know?"

Water had accumulated in the rims of her eyes, giving her away more than she would have preferred. It was no longer possible to hide her truth from them and she could not continue without their help. Feeling the need for extra support, she embraced Elsie's midsection and buried her head in her abundant bosom. Her face was no longer visible to them. Elsie embraced her girl back, giving her comfort and the security required to speak her truth.

"I love him," she offered shyly, but it was just loud enough to be discerned by her elders. She started sobbing immediately after her declaration.

Elsie did not move, mindful of Anna still attached to her, but Pops did. His initial reaction was to shake his head, slowly, in agony, as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. Thank God Anna wasn't looking at him. He took a few steps to be closer and put his hand on her back. Even if he wasn't convinced by Mr. Bates, his little girl was hurting and he needed to be supportive. He rubbed her back gently, and listened as her sobs subsided. When she was calm, he addressed the situation. They needed to know exactly what that meant and how deep her involvement ran.

He breathed in to get a clear head and in as neutral a voice as he could conjure, he questioned her further. "Anna dear, you've been working very closely with him for a couple of months now. It would be natural for you to feel a loyalty to him. "

Before he could continue, Anna pulled back to finally face them. Her face was splotchy, but determined.

"It's not loyalty… I know I broke our cardinal rule of not getting involved with the clients, but I couldn't help it. I've had feelings for him since we met and it was increasingly difficult for me to put them aside."

Freed from the embrace, Elsie asked, "What does this mean, dear? Have you…." Elsie struggled to find the words, but the evident pain in her eyes made it clear to Anna that she wanted to know the details.

"Yes. I've slept with him."

Elsie's jaw dropped and Pops eyes widened in disbelief. Neither thought that Anna's attachment had been at this level. Sleeping with him? How long had they really known each other?

"But…he's married." Elsie reached out for her hand, trying to be supportive and understand at the same time. "Is that what you want?"

Pops added his own question which was highly different than Elsie's.

"Did Mr. Bates seduce you?" He emphasized the word seduce and there was a hint of rancor in his tone. His protective side was winning over his prudence. Part of him lived in denial and thought his little girl was still a virgin. Any man getting too close to her was a seducer, no matter how consensual her relationships were.

Annoyed at the question, Anna answered with defiance and passion. "Mr. Bates did not seduce me. I was a willing participant." She ran her hand through her hair, and then breathed in deeply, catching her breath, and wanting to answer the other questions with a clearer head. She knew that Pops meant well, but he could be infuriating sometimes. "I struggled for a while, precisely because he is married. I don't fancy myself a home wrecker. Their marriage has been over for at least a decade and nothing happened until we had the proof of Vera's infidelity. We succumbed to our feelings after he filed for divorce. I wouldn't have allowed anything before then."

"But that was two weeks ago," Elsie added as she made calculations in her head. How could it be so recent and she not know about this?

"Yes." Anna's answer was matter of fact, and showed no emotion. "It's not been long at all." Even if her relationship with him was recent, she felt very strongly for him; Perhaps stronger than she had ever felt for anyone else.

"What about him? Does he feel the same way?" Elsie didn't know if that would make a difference or not in her decision to go ahead and continue helping. The romantic side of her hoped that he did, for Anna's sake and so that Pops could reconcile his mind to this situation. Since Anna confessed the intimate nature of their relationship, his eyebrows had not come down from the high level they reached. Whenever he disapproved of something, it was evident in his eyebrows and they were as high as she'd ever seen them.

Anna calmed down. "I don't know. We've just spent this last weekend together and it was glorious. We've not exchanged any declarations, either of us, but I know he cares for me deeply. It was hard for him to do this. I could tell in every way. Neither of us made the decision lightly and nobody except Robert and Mary, and now you, know about us. I don't know about him, but I LOVE HIM and I hope that is enough for you to help me."

Elsie's heart fluttered when she heard her girl talk about love. Anna never used the term lightly. She was almost convinced.

After her declaration, Anna took each one of their hands into hers. Her eyes were filling with tears again and she could tell that Pops was softening under her touch. His eyebrows were descending to a more natural position. He was a softy, never able to hold a grudge against her for long. She didn't do it on purpose, but she knew she had him wrapped around her little finger and she could always get him to see her side and agree with her.

"We may not have gotten together under the right circumstances and I know that you probably have a lot of hesitation to get involved, but I need your help. John Bates is innocent. I know he is. He is a marvelous man and I wish you could know him the way I do. They've accused him of something I know he is not capable of. It is Vera's revenge, what's done this. He, himself, predicted this would happen. I need to clear his name and I cannot do it alone. Please…. Will you help me?"

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Elsie walked several feet behind Vera. They'd followed her to the Monks Cross Shopping complex and parked close to where her vehicle had been left. She had descended quickly and Elsie donned her favorite disguise, the colorful hijab she wore over a longer more covered dress. This outfit always allowed her to roam freely, as most of her features were not discernible in it. It was not difficult to trail her subject, especially in the type of set up for this open air shopping zone. The Stores were line up in a sort of square, with the parking in the middle, which meant you could hide among the cars and still observe anybody you wanted.

Both Elsie and Pops had acquiesced to such an impassioned plea from their god-daughter and now, here they were, only a couple of hours later, following the purported mastermind of Mr. Bates' troubles. Elsie wasn't sure that finding the God-forsaken lover was important anymore, but Anna insisted that it could all be tied together and with an absence of immediate information regarding the actual charges levied against him, it was still important for them to know exactly what Vera was up to - Who she was talking to and what she was doing - regardless if it had to do with the lover or not. Finding the lover might come of it.

Vera made her way to the Starbucks, the one right next to the Costa coffee shop and sat down at a table. Two competing chains offering the exact same products, situated next to each other? Elsie would never understand the allure of the expensive coffee fad, but judging by how full both establishments were, others were suckered into it. There was a healthy dose of customers everywhere, but not too many to obstruct her view. Standing behind a mid-sized car, two rows back, she was still able to notice that Vera hadn't ordered anything yet. That meant Elsie could wait a little while longer. She'd wait to enter when whomever she was meeting arrived. Elsie heard her phone beep and pulled it out. It was a message from Charles.

**WILLIAM MASON GPS REPORTS HE IS ENTERING MONKS CROSS NOW.**

What? Could they be that lucky? One of the four lover candidates here? It couldn't mean anything else but another clandestine meeting being set up in a much less private place. Perhaps, since Vera had been caught, the identity of the lover was no longer important and meeting publicly was more comfortable than the interior of a van in a car lot. Now that her husband was in prison, she could afford to be more open.

Elsie struggled in her mind to remember which one of the lot was William. All four of the men were good looking in the pictures. Was he the pilot? Or was that Gregson? Mmmm. No….. she could remember Anna saying that William was a sweet young man and he was the one that she worked with to paint the helicopter that one time she went on the Make a Wish flight. He must be the mechanic, then, the one who looked the youngest of them all. Well, it made no sense in trying to get a mental picture. If he was coming towards Vera, he'd be here soon and she'd know.

**I SEE HIM NOW**, she texted to Charles, when the handsome young man walked towards the coffee shop. Now she recognized him. He was definitely the young, good looking mechanic. He wasn't wearing anything too fancy and given the time it was, he must have come straight from work. It wasn't even 7pm yet. Unexpectedly, he did not enter the Starbucks, but the Costa coffee house situated right next to it instead. As did Vera, instead of ordering, he went straight in to sit down. He looked nervous and fidgeted in his seat constantly. Elsie could observe both of them and Vera looked calm and in control. It was strange really. Both of them were sitting in almost parallel tables, on opposite sides of the same wall and none was any the wiser that the other was there. Could they have gotten their appointment settings mixed up? Elsie expected one of them to pull their mobile and place a call to the other any moment now.

She waited and the minutes passed. Neither made a move and both retained their external demeanor – William was fidgety and Vera was self-assured and haughty.

Really? Are both of you so daft that you can't figure it out? Nobody was listening, yet Elsie was talking to herself and discussing this situation out loud.

"As-salamu alaykum"Elsie heard behind her and she jumped from the shock. She didn't think anybody could hear her. She turned to find a nice looking young man staring at her. She knew no Arabic, but recognized the words he pronounced as the greeting used by Muslims around the world. The way he pronounced it, it sounded like singing, beautifully spoken, and she knew he wasn't saying it only for her sake because of the way she was dressed. He must be Muslim himself. Oh Lord. The last thing she wanted to do was to offend anyone, especially by wearing traditional Muslim women's clothing. She didn't know how he would take it if he knew. Most Muslims were peace loving individuals, but the fanatical weirdoes that made up the minority lived everywhere, possibly including Yorkshire. It would be a horror to run into one now.

"As sala – alai-kom," repeated back Elsie as she smiled, sure that she had butchered the greeting and revealed herself to be non-Muslim in the process.

He looked confused, evidence to confirm what she was just thinking. "Non-Muslim?" he asked graciously.

There was no way she would pull off a convincing ruse now, not with somebody who was obviously well-versed on the customs. Somebody Christian – maybe. A Muslim? Never. It was better to concede defeat, if it could be called that.

"Yes." She looked sheepishly at him, not knowing what to expect from her confession.

"May Allah bless you, then." Bless him back, she thought. He was the non-fanatical type. Relieved, He looked amiable, peaceful even, when he said that and Elsie reasoned he must think her a nut case to be wearing Muslim clothing as a non-Muslim. He moved forward with keys in his hand and that was when Elsie realized she had been blocking his car. The car she had been hiding against, and leaning on while she spied, was his. That made it even more embarrassing.

"I am so sorry." She moved to the side to let him through and walked a few feet away in the process. The gentleman took his time leaving, and she was forced to pretend to have a purpose elsewhere. With no further direct access to both coffee store windows, she decided to just go into one of them, until she could reposition herself again. The closest was the Costa, so she went in. William hardly noticed as she paid for a bottle of water, the most affordable item in the refrigerated case and walked back out. The spot belonging to the Muslim fellow had been vacated and another car had already parked in its spot and she walked back. She was surprised to find Vera no longer inside. She had only been gone for five minutes and William was still there. Where could this woman be?

She heard her phone buzzing with an incoming text message again.

**SHE'S DRIVING OUT. WHERE ARE YOU?** Charles wrote and Elsie scratched her head. What had just happened?

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The piles of documents were now spread around the living room and pinned to the walls of the same space. Her bedroom was no longer big enough and she would need to branch out if she wanted to visualize all the documents she had amassed. She didn't care if she didn't sleep for days and she didn't care if Mary objected to the mess. They could live with the chaos and it was her flat. She wouldn't let him languish in prison and she wouldn't allow Vera to get away with whatever she was doing.

She was busy pinning copies of Vera's conversation transcripts to the inside of their front door when her phone buzzed alerting her to another tweet that mentioned her handle. She dreaded to look at it, knowing it was not her Mr. Bates with another sweet saying or reminder of a nostalgic moment between them. He didn't have his phone anymore, he couldn't possible tweet. That meant it could only be one other person - incognitohelper.

Reluctantly, she read the message.

** eyeinthesky I HATE SAYING I TOLD YOU SO. I DIDN'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN. TIME TO GET HIM OUT. I WILL HELP. **

Wait… What? The tweeter was a friend, not a foe? Anna placed both hands on her head, covering her eyes. It was true the cyber troll was trying to warn them about something and had not actually threatened in anyway, but why would this person, if they had any information at all of an impending action, choose to stay quiet instead of coming forward? Helping was good, but they were certainly going about it in an odd fashion. And what type of help did they think they could provide if they were always only tweeting?

She called Joseph Molesley out of desperation. He was already aware of the situation, Elsie having called him as soon as Anna left their house that afternoon. He had sent her an email, asking her what she wanted him to do. She'd not responded yet.

"Hello Sweetheart," he answered excitedly and she sighed before she responded.

"Hello Joe. Have you had any luck with the mystery tweeter? I just got another message right now. It would really help if I knew who this person is."

Anna heard him make a sound of frustration. It was a cross between a roar and yelp.

"I am trying, but this opponent is really good. As soon as my logarithm starts to catch up, it speeds up the coding process and changes number letter combination that I had already discerned. It's a little annoying that it is that good."

"Alright. Thanks for the effort." There was no sense in urging him on. He sounded upset enough as it was.

"What else do you need? I heard that you might require more of my help soon."

"Yes. I am looking for some answers, but in the meantime, can you provide as much detail, again, regarding all of Mr. Bates' accounts and all of the corresponding withdrawals and deposits? You had already determined that there was something funny going on and that is precisely what I imagine Vera provided the police. Let's go deeper if we can, shall we?"

"I'll see what I can do. Hopefully, I'll have something for you by tomorrow."

"Great, Thank you."

Anna went back to the spread of papers she had accumulated. Let's see, where were we?

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"What the hell did they put in this mattress to make it so lumpy? John couldn't imagine that in the state it was in, this could be its natural form. He smoothed the lumps with hand but it didn't help much. Perhaps if he changed orientation, lying on the other side, he might encounter a smoother surface. A few minutes later, after he had turned, he discovered it was of no use. Either end, or side, was just as shoddy as the other. He imagined hundreds of different persons had slept in it to make it the lopsided entity it was today.

He sighed. He best get used to this for the next few days. It was unlikely that he would be let out any time soon. When the police arrived to take him, even with the impending menace that Vera's trip to the police station could represent, he was caught off guard. Anna was surprised too. He could barely face her, but when he glanced a look, she was weary with worry. She and Gwen were clutched together - his two most loyal girls. What would they think of him now? What was to become of his relationship with Anna? He wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to him again. There was nothing else in it for her now, so she would probably leave him. The thought made him cry and for once, he appreciated that in this dingy cell he was all alone. Nobody could overhear him sob at the mess he had made of his life. Where would he be if Callum hadn't died and if Vera had never come into his life? Would he still be in the military, maybe stationed in far off Afghanistan? Could any of his Friday night dates evolved into becoming his wife and giving him a couple of kids? He pondered how different his life could have been. He didn't know what to think. He just wanted whatever the next phase in his life would be, to start. Anything was better than this limbo.

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"John, are you ok?" Matthew was back at the prison, visiting John the next morning. His client did not appear well; the dark circles under his eyes making him look haggard.

"I'm fine. I've not slept at all and my hip could not get any rest on that excuse for a mattress that was my bed, but forget about that, just tell me what you know."

"I have the information from the prosecutor. It is currently a bit flimsy, if you ask me, but I suspect that they will shore up this charge with additional information as they prepare to charge you formally."

"What is it that I did beyond just 'embezzlement'?" John still couldn't figure it out.

"The prosecutor has a series of withdrawals from your main company account into a personal account of yours in Switzerland. These withdrawals don't abide by your company's modus operandi for distributions to owners and it goes as far back as six years and is now worth 5 million pounds."

"Switzerland? I don't have an account in Switzerland. I've never had one, to be quite honest. This is preposterous." John's temper flared. "5 million? How is this even possible?"

Matthew put an arm on his shoulder to calm him down. "Well, that's a start. We'll have to figure out how it was opened and we'll look at all the detail concerning those withdrawals."

John did calm down. The tone in Matthew's voice gave him comfort.

"We'll be called into court in a few days for a formal charging and when that happens, we will declare you innocent, if you agree."

"Absolutely," he answered with complete enthusiasm.

Matthew's mood changed. "John, I have to ask you about something." He appeared apprehensive. "Anna came to me yesterday." Matthew noticed how John averted his gaze at the mention of her.

"Oh?" he asked, very non-chalantly.

"She retained me as her lawyer just so that she could share, under confidentiality, that you and she are involved and that she intends to get you out."

John's heart fluttered. Anna wasn't chucking him out? She still wanted to be a part of this? He allowed a small smile to splay across his lips. How did he get that lucky?

"Judging by the smile, I get the feeling that you agree with what she told me?" John nodded in affirmation and Matthew continued with his questioning. "John, I am not here to judge you, but… so close to your divorce settlement and you are having an affair? That is asking for trouble."

"I agree." John had nothing to contest the statement with. It was simply not prudent, just as Matthew had explained. "It's recent, but there is something about her and well, the pull towards each other could not be stopped…." He reflected, then added quickly, "….and it didn't really start until after the papers were filed." As if it could really make a difference judicially; it did in his heart and mind, but the courts would not see it that way.

"I see." He sighed, thinking of an appropriate response. "As your lawyer, I need to make sure that the knowledge of this relationship does not get out. It can ruin a lot of things for us."

"I agree. Only Mary and Robert knew and Anna understood that we could not go public until after my divorce and the partnership dissolution was settled. She agreed to keep it private and I believe that she wouldn't do anything to ruin that."

"Even so, this situation that you are in puts that information in jeopardy. She wants to be a part of this case and help clear your name. I've agreed to use her information to help, but she wants to see you and I think that is dangerous. Your visitor list could be subpoenaed at any time and we could not justify it in any way; not even making it work related. Her cover as your private investigator would be in jeopardy too. It is up to you, but I don't agree."

John's eyes crinkled with happiness, then immediately changed to concern. As much as having her here would brighten his day, he simply could not take the risk.

"I agree. She shouldn't be here for all the reasons you state…. and she shouldn't see me like this either."

"She sent a note for you, with me. Do you want to read it?"

"Of course," exulted a nervous Mr. Bates.

Matthew handed the folded piece of paper that he had stored in his briefcase. He unfolded the neatly written document nervously, as he was anxious to hear from her.

_Dear John,_

He hadn't even read the missive and he was already thrilled that she had addressed him by his first name. It made this note much more intimate.

_I don't have much time, so this is a quick note. I want you to know that Carson's Private Investigators, and I in particular, will do everything possible to sort this out and make sure that Vera is exposed. Getting you out is the most important job I've ever had, so you must not worry that you will be alone and forgotten. I could never forget you. No matter what happens between us in the future, this is not the place for you and I will see to that. I cannot rest until I see you happy and free._

_I have asked Matthew to figure out a way to allow me to see you. I hope you will agree. I will do it under any terms he specifies._

_I miss you already,_

_Anna _

Her words did raise his spirits. She was lovely to continue on. He also noticed how careful she was in addressing their future and it seemed she wouldn't hold the power to help him ransom against some promise to be together. That made him love her even more.

John looked back at Matthew sheepishly. "I would like to answer her. Can I?"

Matthew handed him a sheet of paper and pen. "I'll have to take it to her, as I cannot approve that you use any prison services to mail or telephone each other." John acknowledged but kept writing. "Every letter is read and every call is recorded. The only way to protect you right now and not have you lose every last penny is if this never comes to light. Everything will have to be through me."

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"Matthew, I'm afraid I have a bit of a situation. I've not told anyone yet and I worry that telling John will impact his mood, but I feel I have no choice."

Matthew had called Anthony to visit him in his office, as it would be easier and safer to talk that way.

"I met with the team yesterday and I told them that they should not be worried, but they should."

"Why, what's going on?" Matthew's face demonstrated real worry.

"As part of their investigation, the police have frozen all but one of our company accounts. Since the alleged embezzlement happened from our main account, we cannot access any funds from it until all is resolved."

Matthew did not look shocked and shook his head. "I feared something like that might happen, but I've not told John because we need to spread out the shocks evenly."

"The thing is… we have another minor account, one that I always keep with some funds for a company emergency, but that does not have enough cash to fund more than two weeks of operation. Any payments we get from customers, I can start funneling into the new account, but I cannot foresee that this money could cover some large upcoming helicopter lease payments that are due. We planned for these and accrued the funds specifically from the other account. The bottom line is, we need a cash injection to be able to meet our payroll and lease obligations in about three weeks' time."

Matthew was concerned now. The last thing he wanted to see was Bates Airlift go bankrupt. He didn't think any bank would loan money to a company whose owner and CEO was being held in jail. There were not a lot of options.

Matthew feared the answer but asked anyway. "What do you suggest?"

"I hate to say this, but, we either attempt to barrow from a bank - which would likely not approve us and if they did, at a very high interest rate - and it will require Vera Bates to agree, as part owner too. I can already anticipate that she will not want to."

"And what else?" asked an impatient Matthew who already had anticipated his answer.

"…or, Mr. Bates sells part of his ownership stake and takes on a partner that has the liquidity to sustain us for at least another six months until our accounts are made available to us."

Matthew knew what that meant. For John to sell a stake in his company, he would no longer be on par with Vera and now, Mrs. Bates, as majority owner, could influence and do whatever she wanted. It didn't matter that the partnership dissolution hadn't been approved yet. She could still be lethal within that time frame.

"Would Vera be willing to sell a small partnership stake, equal to John's, so that they still keep the same percentage together?"

The wool had fallen recently from Anthony's eyes and he sighed. Before he found out about her infidelity and how she had strung him along and possibly even aided and abetted Edna, he would have believed her to be an angel. Now, he knew her to be no such thing. He didn't know the answer, but he was willing to bet that Vera didn't really care about the company. It would be in her best interest to do it, but, she had Mr. Bates against the wall. She knew he would do anything for his company.

With a heavy heart, he added, "I can ask her, but I doubt it very much. We need to prepare John for what might happen."

Matthew sighed. "There are companies that specialize in this type of investment. They look for somebody that is hurting and they offer money and then they try to increase their return on investment, no matter what destruction they make. Before you go out looking for investors that that could be more damaging than helpful, do you have any other ideas of a potential partner?"

Anthony smiled. "I do. Richard Carlisle is our man."

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**A/N: **

**You weren't expecting that, were you? Will John have to take Richard on as his partner, despite everything he knows? Will Anna find the evidence to free John? Will we finally find out who the lover is? Answer to all these questions in the coming chapters. Stay tuned.**

**I'm off work until the New Year starts which will allow me to write. I will try to update with another chapter before year's end.**


	17. Corporate Takeover

Hello lovely readers. Words 10.9K.

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"I see no correlation to this task and getting Mr. Bates free." The exasperation was evident in his voice as they staked out Edna's house. After much deliberation on the best way to get the DNA sample that Anna wanted, it was concluded that they did not even need to come into contact with the child. Elsie had remembered, then confirmed visually, that the child's pram was often left on the outside of the house, underneath the house's doorway overhang. At best, the only effort it would take was to gain access to the premises and take off the protective plastic cover that guarded it from the elements. That would be easier than putting together a more elaborate scheme to actually come in contact with the child. This evidence was only necessary to get to the bottom of Edna's treachery. They all knew that for the results to be legal and admissible, Edna would have to agree to the testing. It wasn't the right moment to clue the woman in, and there was no indication yet that it would be used in court, so, accessing the premises was all that would be needed.

"Must you always complain?" Elsie looked at him sternly. She wasn't up to listen to his routine prattling tonight. "Anna wants it done and whatever our girl needs, we will do, no questions asked. So, please be quiet." Her words were said with an acerbity that was not usual for her.

Charles didn't anticipate Elsie's reaction and almost answered back with something snippy himself, but thought twice about it and kept his annoyance to himself. It was his role in their relationship to be the one to complain. He did it often. It was her role to listen to him with disapproval and occasionally keep him in line with a word or two of caution. This was unlike her.

Elsie looked upon him and realized he appeared like a scolded child. She had been too strong. She reached out to touch his hand. With passion in her voice, she explained herself.

"I'm sorry, love. I just can't see her hurting and not do anything about it. I want to do anything I can to make her happy while he's in there. Whether we like him or not - If getting a strand of hair, or snot covered napkin, or the spit and vomit laced fabric liner of this pram puts a smile on her face, as her mother, I will do it. "

Her heartfelt words manipulated all of his senses and suddenly, he felt like such a git for going on about it.

He pulled her in, and placed a warm and subtle kiss on her lips. His dear, darling, and clever wife- What would he ever do without her?

"What was that for?" asked an amazed Elsie.

"For being right and for being the best mum… Now, let's go get that bloody DNA."

They had chosen the cover of night to aid in their scheme and they had planned for her to be the one to retrieve it. She was more agile and the portal and yard to be breached were not very large. Charles would stick out like a sore thumb. Also, their escape story, if caught, allowed for a more believable ruse if it were her in the garden and not him. She was wearing a wrap-across robe on top of her black stealth outfit and had an assortment of transparent zip lock bags in three different sizes to transport whatever she managed to get her hands on. She had a small bag for hair, a medium bag for any clothing or tissues and a very large one in case she needed to take the whole liner itself. Each bag was fastened with a large clip to a belt. She would store the item in the bag and it would hang protected underneath the large robe. Her only other tools were a small flashlight and rubber gloves in the robe pocket, to help her find and handle what she was looking for. A few curlers in her hair and fuzzy slippers complemented her outfit. While it was chilly out, she didn't feel any discomfort, as she had enough layers to cover her.

They had it all planned. Charles was also wearing a robe, pajama pants and loafers. He would come to her assistance if needed. He would play concerned-husband-whose-wife-has-dementia, and they would play-act her having accidentally ended up in Edna's yard.

Edna, the child, and her partner, Niall, had all been observed entering the residence several hours earlier. They had waited to make sure there was no further activity in the house, or that of their neighbors, when Elsie made her move. Charles stayed back several houses, hidden behind a large tree. The lights had been off for a while when Elsie approached the front gate. She gingerly opened the latch and was relieved to find it as the easy sort that made no noise. She observed the external walls of the residence to make sure they had no motion sensors. It wouldn't do to flood the place with lights and give herself away. There were none that she could discern and she walked silently to the target object.

Elsie did not know what type of mother Edna was. Charles had said she was most attentive to her child when he spied on them in the café two weeks ago, but she hoped that attention did not translate to being an organized mother. Elsie never mothered an infant, but she was wise enough to know that it was a full time occupation, keeping after a child, and only one who received much help, or was obsessive-compulsive, could keep all of an infant's items spotless. More so if the toddler was mobile. If Edna was this sort, then, she wouldn't find anything in the pram that could be of use.

She aimed the light on her target and saw the plastic cover. It was removed slowly and put to the side. She flashed the light again, directly on to the inside and was comforted to find a biscuit's crumbs, a soothing toy for toothing gums, and a cloth wipe. This seemed to be a bonanza. Any one of these items could have plenty of baby saliva. She put on a plastic glove and undid the fastening of her robe. She moved the toothing ring into a bag of its own, reckoning this was the most useful bit of evidence, then placed the wipe in the smallest bag. She considered leaving the liner of the pram, but, when she tugged on an edge and saw that it was fastened by Velcro strips to the bottom, she determined to take it too. She gently stripped it from one edge, and then rolled it slowly so that all of the contents were kept within as she unfastened the Velcro. Soon enough, it was in her largest bag.

Elsie was replacing the plastic cover when she heard movement close to the front door. She was so concentrated in task of removing the liner, that if there was any advanced warning, she didn't hear it.

"I'll go out whenever I feel like it," was heard through the door and Elsie panicked. There was only a slim crevice, more of an indentation on the façade, where she could stand against, lessening her presence on the portal. She stood against it, but floundered. Should she run over to the fence and throw herself over? No, she shouldn't. Her body couldn't handle that sort of impact anymore. She was in her fifties and not in any condition to take that sort of action.

The door opened. She kept calm. She remembered the plan. All she had to do was go through with what they had agreed. Charles should be along to rescue her in any moment. She kept to the wall, as tightly as she could. She'd only play her role if he saw her. The man was now fully outside, standing but a couple of meters from where she was. He reeked of cigarette smoke and beer.

"Elsie….," she could hear her beloved calling out. God bless him for being alert. The man, or Niall, looked toward the voice and away from her. Charles called again. "Elsie….." She could see him now too. Niall moved the few steps towards the gate.

"Excuse me sir, have you seen an older woman, walking around here, sort of in a daze?" Niall had not seen her yet and he was not even looking around. Charles' distraction was proving perfect. "You see, she's not right in the head and I'm afraid she's walked out of the house." Charles knew that people, most of the time, if you keep talking, will want to shut you out. That was what he was doing now. Forcing the man to move quickly and avoid getting caught up in something that was annoying to him. "She's my wife, you know. She's always doing this. I should have her institutionalized."

"Nope," Niall answered as predicted, not wanting to get involved. He appeared desperate to get out of there in a hurry. "Good luck, mate," he offered as he walked off, without turning back. He was gone, and Elsie was safe. Charles stood in the same spot until he saw Niall turn the corner. She kept against the wall until Charles motioned for her to come.

When they were a block away in the opposite direction, she turned and kissed him. "You were wonderful tonight, darling."

This surprised him, but he was very proud of himself. "Oh, I did nothing. You were the one who got what we needed."

"Yes, but you were the one who made sure I made it out undetected." She massaged his arms and gave him a bashful look. Nothing turned him on more than when his wife was giving him praise. She wasn't very liberal in doling it out. He best take advantage of this.

"Maybe we need to celebrate how cunning we both are?" Charles winked and put his hand on his wife's neck.

She gave him a smoldering look. "I rather like that suggestion." Her voice was hoarse with desire. "What did you have in mind?"

He wanted to play with Maude and Emma. That's what he wanted. Charles waited no further and took his wife's hand, turning to look for their car.

"Car. Now," he uttered, as he started for their vehicle, dragging a giggling Elsie behind him. There was no time like the present to celebrate.

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William was not who she was expecting might be Vera's lover. He was so gentle and kind and a bit shy. She just didn't see it. Anna rated him the 4th option, when looking at the other men. She still wasn't sure about any of them, but Richard, Michael and Evelyn seemed to have more possibilities. Thus, when Elsie mailed her a side by side picture of both William and Vera in the different coffee shops, she didn't know what to think.

She trudged into the office after a late night of reviewing documentation. She wasn't sure how many hours she slept, but, when she awoke, she was on the sofa with a blanket on her. Surely Mary must have done that, since she didn't remember getting comfortable at all.

The moment she punched her code to get through the door and stepped inside, she was flooded with paralyzing fear. His office was almost at the entrance and his door was open. She could see right through to his empty desk. Perhaps Gwen had already arrived and was hoping for the best, opening the door for him. Her fear was taking over her senses. What if she didn't find the information that was needed to get him free? What if she failed? She stood there and closed her eyes, imagining him back, visualizing that he was at his desk, going over some report, or talking to someone. She imagined his broad, sturdy figure, as he sat back in his chair, as he so often did, as he exuded his aura of confidence and leadership. She could actually see him and her heart beat faster. His image, that of her imagination, was smiling, his eyes crinkling. She felt herself swoon.

"Anna, what are you doing?"

Her heart, beating quickly almost a moment ago, stopped with concern. She couldn't get caught swooning over him. Sooner or later, somebody would figure it out. "No….Nothing," she said quickly as she spun around to see Gwen. She hoped her friend hadn't seen her lovelorn face as she sat there, imagining him.

"You were almost in a trance. Is something wrong?" Gwen was too smart for her, Anna knew - but Anna was smarter and could turn this around.

"No, I just hate the injustice of it all. I couldn't help but think of what happened yesterday."

Gwen's inquisitive eyes softened. "Yes. Me too. I could hardly sleep last night, thinking about where he might be and when he is coming back. " Gwen also gazed into the office with a worried look.

"Are you going somewhere?" Anna noticed that Gwen was carrying several parcels but didn't appear to be heading to her desk.

"I think these belong to Tom and were accidentally placed in the supply cabinet. I just found look like paper clips, but they are actually some sort of engine bit. I was going to take it to them."

"I can go, if you want? I haven't visited the hangar in a while. I'd like to say hi to the guys. I kind of miss working there, if you can believe me." This was the perfect excuse to chat with William and see if she could get more information. "and…I don't have much of an assignment today. I don't have any more lessons to do, and I haven't talked with Michael about a do-over date for my oil rig run.

"Sure – Be my guest." Gwen handed her the packages. "I'll ask Anthony where he wants to assign you, so you have something to do when you get back."

Anna smiled. "Excellent!" She headed out towards the hangar and she gave an internal squeal when she saw William up towards the front. That was perfect. She was sure Tom was in there somewhere too, but this access to her prime target was most convenient. She could maybe chat with him a few minutes before Tom caught wind of her presence.

"Hello William. How are you doing today?" Anna tried to maintain a cheery voice.

William looked up. He looked a bit sorrowful, but he didn't have the liveliest personality to begin with, and thus she couldn't place his mood. Not yet.

"Hello Anna. It's nice to see you. What brings you down here?" He sounded sincere.

"Oh just these little doo-dads." She waved the packages, and then set them down on a little table next to him. "Gwen was going to bring them, but, it's been a while since I came and I asked to be the one to come."

William picked up the parcels with curiosity. "Oh, these are rotor tie fasteners. Tom will be relieved to see them. We are down to half a box." He smiled just a bit. "Thanks." He didn't look too excited. In fact, she thought he looked forced….. Like he was making an effort. His sincerity had waned.

"So how are you?" She didn't have anything brilliant to say that could garner more information from him, so she asked as straight forward as she could.

"Good…" He was without a reaction, and then changed his tune quickly after. "Well, maybe not. I am a little worried about the whole situation with Mr. Bates. I really like it here. I'd hate for this to be the start of something bad."

That's what had him sad? God bless him. But, she thought there was more to the story. This couldn't be it. There had to be a way to get more information. He wasn't as complex a person as the others.

"Yes, me too. I've not known him as long as you have, and even I felt horrible." Anna remembered that William had defended, or actually, refused to speak ill of Vera when she had come to the hangar to get information from Tom that week that she was assigned to the hangar. Maybe she could weave this in? "I wonder how Mrs. Bates is taking the news. Even with the upcoming divorce, I'm sure this is devastating."

William showed no discernible emotion, nothing of shock, or embarrassment. Mmmm…. that was weird. She was sure he would say something, but he actually went back to being sorrowful and quiet. He didn't look like he was in the talking mood. When Anna was just about to ask after Tom, the other mechanic emerged from the spare parts room.

"Anna darling, how are you?" Said in his Irish accent, he sounded positively adorable. He strode over with energy and zeal and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She couldn't understand why he didn't have a girl. He had charisma, looks and a great personality. She ought to set him up with somebody.

"I'm good Tom. Just delivered some things and talking to William."

"William? Good luck with that. A little darlin' stood him up yesterday and you'd be lucky to get a word from him."

William shot Tom a look. He did not want that information known, apparently. He looked a combination of upset and embarrassed. Anna thought he might actually leave.

"What? It's not a secret is it? The only secret is you not telling us who your date was with." Tom was not fazed by William's reaction and winked at Anna, hoping she might continue with the questioning.

Anna was thrilled with the direction the conversation had taken. Somebody stood him up? This was the stuff of her dreams. Tom was the best unwitting ally she could ever hope for. How could she get him to confess? It had to be him. And he'd likely not talked to Vera yet to discover that she had gone, only, both of them got confused about the location. She could have sworn he was into Daisy, though. He followed her with puppy dog eyes all the time she was in the hangar.

"Oh William, don't be embarrassed. I'll not talk about it to anybody. The others won't find out." She reached out to rub on his arm, hoping to sooth his frayed nerves.

He shot her an appreciative look.

Anna continued. "That's happened to me before too. An older bloke I fancied in college, and who knew I liked him, invited me out once, and then didn't show up. I was rather upset for days." Anna invented the story to see if she could get William to talk.

"It was something like that," was all he said.

"He's not wanted to say who his date was with, but he was excited, the poor chap." He patted William's back. "I'm sorry Will. I hope the next one works out." Tom was being empathetic.

He acknowledged meekly, and then excused himself, smiling at Anna.

Being the center of conversation was something he seemed eager to avoid. "I'm sorry. I need to go find something." He took off, leaving Anna and Tom alone.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"What has you so happy?" asked Sarah when she and Thomas were taking a break in their usual spot. Sarah had observed him all morning and there was something about Thomas that was a bit different. He looked smug, proud of himself, but he wasn't sharing anything with her and it was driving her crazy. For the last hour, she had been trying to drag him out for a break and she finally achieved it. The moment Anthony stood away from his office, she pulled him out.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he tried to keep a straight face, but failed and smiled instead. He loved to make her upset. Not that it wasn't easy to do. Anything would tick her off.

"I know you too well to not know that something is going on. You've got that look where you think you're all that." He was at it again, slyly trying to blow her off. She wouldn't allow it. "You know something and you should tell me."

"Oh, I don't know Sarah." He wasn't going to make it easy for her, even if he had plenty to tell.

"I don't know why I bother with you." Her voice, elevated from her frustration, shrilled as she threw her cigarette to the floor and stomped on it. She turned to leave. If he wasn't going to be candid with her, there was no point in their friendship.

He managed to catch her wrist as she moved away, and this stopped her in her tracks.

"Oh, come now, Sarah. Fits are very unbecoming of you." He smirked and pulled her back.

If his words were meant to sooth her, he failed. Was he trying to be nice to her? He was not a very good friend if she had to resort to such ultimatums to get anything out of him.

"Are you, or are you not going to tell me what you know?" Sarah huffed, and she saw Thomas soften up.

"Alright, but you shouldn't get worked up. I've told you before…" Sarah rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was a life lecture from him.

"I heard Anthony talking to ABC Leasing. They're the ones who financed our helicopters and to whom we owe a fair amount of money, and I heard him talking to Matthew Crawley too. I think the firm is in trouble. Anthony was very worried and I couldn't access the accounts online. They seem frozen. I believe that Bates Airlift is in for a rough ride."

"Why is that good news, you idiot? I need my job and so do you." No matter what happened to that idiot Mr. Bates, she needed to work, and if the company was in trouble, she didn't understand how that could be good news. Not unless Thomas had something else on the side which she always suspected he might. He never worried about his livelihood like she did.

Thomas breathed in and rolled his eyes, feigning being annoyed at having to explain what did not seem obvious to her.

"Well, yes. But…. I rather think that Vera is up to something. She said we hadn't seen the last of her, and this is only the beginning."

"I still don't get it." Sarah put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, searching her mind for clues as to what was going on.

Thomas sighed. "Oh, Sarah…. You never do."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You look much better today than you did yesterday." Matthew wasn't lying. John had another look about him, even if his stubble had grown and his hair was loose.

"It is the power of a shower. I was finally allowed to groom myself. It was less than five minutes and lukewarm at best, but it was enough to bring back some life into me." His eyes crinkled with innocent joy. "What do you have for me today?"

It was not good - Not at all, and he hated to be the bearer of bad news. Matthew hoped that John's positivity could keep itself intact after everything he had to say, but knowing his client, it was not likely.

"John …Vera's lawyer, Mr. Bullock, sent me a package yesterday evening." The lines of Matthew's forehead furrowed and he appeared anguished. This combination of facial expressions heralded the importance of said package and John's heart inadvertently sped up. He remained quiet. "It appears that Vera is countersuing you for divorce and has also made her own petition regarding the partnership dissolution. She has no intention of buying you out. In fact, she is alleging that your embezzlement gives you no right to any of the company's funds."

John did not have an immediate reaction. He sat silently a few seconds. He closed his eyes in deep contemplation and waited for his heart to beat at a normal rhythm once more. A million thoughts were running through his mind at once. Was this about Anna? Did she find out?

At his failure to say anything, Matthew felt compelled to speak out. "Did you hear me John?"

He silently turned towards Matthew. "Did she find out about Anna? Is that what it is? She has proof that we were together?" He didn't wait for Matthew to answer. "….Because, if she did, our infidelities would cancel out each other's claims, although she was first. We would be right back where we started."

"No John. That isn't it. If she knows about Anna, it wasn't mentioned at all and I think that if she knew, she would have used that information as well, so, for now, I rather think that your secret is still a secret."

John breathed in with evident relief. "Then, what is it?"

"She is suing you for divorce for desertion and unreasonable behavior and is basing her partnership dissolution, as I said, on your charge of embezzlement."

John felt his blood pressure start to rise, yet he breathed in to calm himself. "How can she do it?" John was more confused than ever.

"I read all of your incorporation paperwork. If you can remember, the dissolution is only allowed in the case of divorce or embezzlement by either party."

A horrible sensation was beginning to overpower John. That sneaky bitch. Of course she was to blame for all of this. Since she thought it unlikely that he could ever cheat, and he had effectively, over 18 years of marriage, not given her any reason to doubt him, the only other way was embezzlement.

"But….." John sighed, clearing his thoughts. He had dozens of theories camping out in his mind, clamoring for attention, and he wanted to sound intelligent. He pointed his index finger at Matthew, as he so often did, wanting to make emphasis. "I have hope that all of this embezzlement claim can be resolved favorably for me, but, let's just pretend she is sneakier that we thought and that I get stuck here. What happens then? I made my claim against her infidelity first and I registered my claim of dissolution first. Her claim, then, should be superfluous, no matter how I fare in court."

Matthew looked skeptical. "I follow your train of thought and I understand how that would make sense in your mind, but it is not that easy. For the actual divorce, you will likely be the victor. Her claim of desertion would become invalid once the court looks at the timeline and determines that your abandonment was based on your discovery of her adultery." John managed a small smile. His divorce settlement couldn't come soon enough. "The dissolution though, is different. The purported embezzlement goes back historically. The infidelity you have proof of is not even four weeks old. This isn't a matter of when the claim was registered, but when the act took place." John was now crestfallen. "Secondly, and more important - embezzlement is a crime, but adultery is not. In any court of law, her claim would be upheld and yours would be rejected if both claims were pitted against each other. Simply put, she now has the upper hand."

"She won then, didn't she? She told me she would ruin me. She threatened me and now look at where I am." His voice boomed as he increased his tone and waved his arms across the room to make his point.

Matthew could tell that John was losing his clarity and focus and he was becoming desperate. He wasn't even finished sharing the bad news yet either.

"John, there is more to share and it is not precisely good news. I hate to pummel you at once with so much, but you need to know fully what you are currently up against."

"What else could possibly be wrong?" John indignation added to his agitated state.

"I need you to calm down." Matthew stared him down with his steely blue eyes and John acquiesced, a forlorn gloom taking place of the prior building rage. "I need you to be well if we are going to fight this." John nodded and Matthew continued. "All of your personal and company assets have been frozen. Bates Airlift will run out of money in approximately three weeks."

The color drained from John's face. This was the worst possible news. He didn't care if he was in jail, or if he had to live on the streets, penniless, but he could not stand thinking that his beloved company was in jeopardy. Or his employees. He was the master of their livelihoods. He couldn't be responsible for putting them out on the streets.

"Only three weeks?" he asked, seriously concerned.

"Yes. Anthony spoke to me yesterday. Your main operating account is frozen and there is no date for access to be reestablished. Your secondary account has some funds, but not enough to pay for some big lease payments that are due in two weeks' time. Anthony asked for an extension from the leasing corporation and they gave him a week. Even if all of your incoming revenue is diverted to this smaller account, he'll only be either able to pay for the leases or payroll, but not both, unless there is an injection of money."

John was desperate and his face reflected his agony.

"Sell Maggie. Sell my car. I have about $10,000 pounds in cash in my office safe. That ought to be enough for at least a couple of months of payroll and by then, all of this embezzlement poppycock ought to be dealt with."

"The $10,000 pounds will help, but I don't know enough about your business to determine how much it would cover….. Perhaps another week. Unfortunately, selling Maggie and your vehicle is not possible John. That is part of what is frozen by the authorities. "

"What about my house?" He had both index fingers touching each one of his temples, trying to focus and come up with solutions.

"Vera lives there and you signed it over to her, or will, once the divorce is settled. It is really no longer considered your property…..and it too, would be frozen for sale by the authorities, because your name is also listed on the deed."

John rubbed his temple further. "Then what am I to do?" He looked beaten.

"Anthony is looking for a loan, but it will likely be at a very high interest rate, if he manages to find somebody to loan money in these circumstances at all, but…..Anthony suggests another way.

"What is it?" John looked hopeful.

"It's time you took a partner."

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Matthew suggested Richard Carlisle, as per Anthony's recommendation, his heart almost stopped beating. He did not want to partner with the man, but his options were limited. Matthew urged him to do it. What choice did he have? Money did not grow on trees and he did not have rich friends. Rob must have some money, but with two daughters still in a far off university and the expenses associated with paying their way until they finished, he couldn't ask his friend. A pub business allowed for some gains, but he couldn't possibly have the type of money he needed. Cora had her own money, inherited wealth, but he didn't know how much it was. He and Rob never spoke about those things; he only knew that she didn't depend on his earning at all. They had been through a lot together, but it was too much to ask.

What if he did take it? It was the money they needed to get ahead. If he didn't take it, the livelihood of his employees would be affected. From when he had been meeting with the economic council of York, he knew that unemployment was high in the region. At 8.5%, it was not likely that any of them would find jobs quickly. He didn't want anybody to suffer from this.

If he did take the money, when Anna levied her accusation, the company would be stable again. Richard would be put in jail, he hoped, but he continue to accrue gains on his investment. It hardly seemed fair that he should have a comfortable life when released from prison, whenever that was. Of more concern were the lingering effects on Bates Airlift's reputation. He hadn't asked if the media knew of his arrest, but it would certainly be a story if Richard were arrested too. He could only imagine what the press might say. They would be dubbed the Jailbird owners - or something equally disparaging. The media would never pass this opportunity up and it would doom the company.

Anna. It would be the worst possible treason against her. Knowing what he knew about this scoundrel, it just didn't seem right. If he had to go this route, he knew she would never forgive him and that would be the end of them. That would be the worst type of punishment for him, but if it were necessary to save the company and his staff, wouldn't her scorn be worth it? He had to be held accountable and if that meant he had to sacrifice what they had in the process, he would, no matter how painful.

In the end, he had not told Matthew what he knew of Richard, but urged him to find somebody else to give them a loan. He had requested to speak to Anthony, if possible. Anything was better than this alternative.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Anna had agreed to meet with Matthew at the pub, secluded in Robert's office. Both concluded that it was the sensible thing to do, rather than her go to his office where her involvement might be discovered. He didn't say much, but led her to understand that his client had approved of her participation. When he arrived, he went straight to the office, winking bashfully at Mary. Mary responded with a smile, much like a nervous schoolgirl. Anna wished these two would get their act together. They both still clearly liked each other. She wouldn't meddle, though. She had no time for another project. All the hours in her day were already occupied.

Once inside, he handed her the first batch of evidence so that she could start making sense of the data. The information was simple. The authorities had provided him a list of deposits made into the Swiss bank account, Credit Suisse, over several years and since the account's inception. There were some withdrawals, in small amounts too. She couldn't tell much about them from in this documentation, but now that they were in her possession, Joe could start to follow the trail.

A thought came to her when she was sitting opposite Matthew. She hadn't finished going through all of Vera's conversation transcripts, but she vaguely remembered an exchange between her and Thomas about Switzerland. It wasn't a secret that they all believed Vera was behind this, but remembering these crucial bits of information would be important to uncover her deception.

While she looked at some of the papers, Matthew spoke to her.

"Do you think you can handle it?"

"This? The investigation?" She didn't want to act indignant with him. He didn't really have any experience with her at all. Why would he know about her or her determination? She just flashed him a smile. It was better to reassure him. "Of course. I can't think of anything else and I've already started. Give me a day to see if I can find a meaning in this."

"I'd like to say to take all the time you need, but, I think we'll both agree that it really doesn't apply to this case."

She kept an amiable smile. "No, it doesn't."

Her heart couldn't handle it any more. Matthew hadn't mentioned Mr. Bates at all, nor anything about her letter or the permission to visit. Just as he had been direct with her, she would be the same with him. There would be no dancing around the subject.

"Did you give him my letter?" She stared at him inquisitively.

A flash of embarrassment passed on the young man's face. Anna reckoned he was still having trouble reconciling himself to the fact that she and his client were together. That, and he certainly did not look like he appreciated being the message boy between them. Or he was the bearer of bad news. She held her breath as he responded.

He sighed and reluctantly answered. "Yes."

"And? When can I go?" It was torture for her not to see him. If Matthew said tomorrow, she would do whatever it took to get there.

Anna knew the answer before Matthew ever spoke. The look of hesitation gave him away and at that moment, she wanted to be as far away as possible. The tears threatened to overtake her, but appearing professional in front of Matthew was her prime goal. She wouldn't allow him to see how his words would shatter her.

"I'm sorry Anna. I can't allow it. Not yet. It's just not safe." He kept on talking after that, explaining about how prison visits were admissible evidence in court, and a whole bevy of other reasons which were likely sound advice to be given by a lawyer, but her head could only contend with the fact that she wouldn't be able to see him. He had said no and her heart almost broke into a million pieces. His voice gave her no comfort, but she kept her poker face. Winning her battle against her emotions was a small consolation for such a disappointment. Deep down, she knew Matthew was right and the last thing she wanted was to cause him problems. Hopefully, this whole ordeal wouldn't last more than a couple of days anyway.

Matthew proceeded to explain about Vera's latest tactic and the shock almost made her fall out of her chair. How conniving! Suing him for divorce and her own request for dissolution, on top of getting him in prison, was not what anybody expected. It was a truly Machiavellian move. If Anna were a writer, she'd propose this be made into a movie. It was too unreal to be believed. All this new information did not mend her heart, but she had to agree with Matthew. She would have to remain hidden.

"He wrote you a letter, though." Matthew was not all work. His words were spoken with care and concern.

Her poker face broke and she let out a restrained squeal. A letter? Why hadn't he started with that? She didn't say anything when she saw the paper coming from his briefcase. Like a dog being offered a bone, she took it from his hand quicker than he had intended and started unfurling the missive.

Before she could say anything else, Matthew offered, "I'll just leave you alone to read it and if you want to respond, go right ahead. I'll go to the bar and talk with Mary if it is alright with you?"

Anna nodded, no longer interested in him.

"Fine. Come find me when you are ready." With those last words he was off.

_My Darling Anna,_

_Can I call you that? I'm afraid that in our rather short relationship, we hadn't gotten to the point of using terms of endearment. I would have called you that very soon anyway, so, I will proceed. I have read your words and they fill me with comfort that you would want to continue to be a part of this mess that has become my life. Knowing you are with me makes all the difference while I am in here and I thank you for continuing on with the case. You will have my eternal gratitude for your efforts, regardless of the results. I couldn't be in better hands._

_I reassure you that I have not done this, what has been orchestrated against me. I am innocent. Your letter mentions exposing Vera, and you are right. There can be no other person responsible. While it is I who drove her to this, for all the reasons you are now aware, I feel she has taken her vengeance against me with a force I knew not possible. I fear she may not stop until I am dead, which in her mind is the only fair price to pay. An eye for an eye._

_I would very much like to see you. Your presence in this abysmal place would bring me much joy and pleasure, yet, Matthew deems it imprudent, when there is so much stacked against me. Surely by now he's told you of the extent of Vera's legal malice. I very much hate to agree with him, as you are a ray of light in my life, but I feel I must comply with his advice. It pains me, as I miss you very much as well. This isn't permanent, or final. He's promised me to revisit your request in the near future, as things become clearer with this case. Since all mail and phone calls are under just as much scrutiny as visits, he has also made it very clear that we are not to communicate. I cannot write you at will and I cannot call you, but, being the swell chap he is, he has agreed to be our courier if it pleases you to write me back. His attorney privilege allows him to bring in correspondence as documentation and it may be our only way. If I could have it any different, I would. Please believe me. I look forward to the day that we can pick up where we left off._

_Love,_

_John._

Anna swooned. She was relieved that he wanted to pick up where they had left off. Since Matthew had already broken the bad news that she could not visit, his words did not cause her as much pain as they could have. It still hurt, her immunity to pain not having dissipated, but she understood the reasons. She wanted him out of there as soon as possible and her presence could complicate things. Nothing had changed really. Until he was divorced, she was too much of a risk for him.

She took out her pen and began to write. If this was their only mode of communication for now, she would embrace it.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Bates, you have a visitor," shouted the guard when John was least expecting it. It must be Rob, he thought to himself and a little joy invaded his heart. He got up from his lumpy mattress and pulled his hair back – as if it could be made better. He sighed when he saw no change after his efforts. The door was opened and he stepped out into the hall, intent on following the guard. He was surprised that it had been managed so quickly. Matthew had just cleared the way for him to receive visitors and he knew that Rob wanted to come, and he had requested for Anthony to come, but Anthony wasn't supposed to come until Monday. Today being Friday afternoon, he though it unlikely that his friend could pull away from such a busy business day at his pub, but maybe he did. Without Anna being able to visit, Rob was the next best thing.

Since he was an intermediate holding facility, not having been charged formally, visiting hours were not consistent. He'd been told that if he made it to an actual jail, the times allowed for it and the protocol surrounding such visits were much stricter. It was a small joy to behold. One had to find the positivity somewhere.

He was shocked when he reached the visitor hall. It was not who he was expecting.

"Richard. What a surprise." His Sales Manager here? Whatever possessed the man to come visit him? This couldn't be good, yet, he forced himself to smile.

"Hello John. I'm sorry I came unannounced. Unfortunately, there is no way to communicate with you so I just took a chance. They let me through." His smile was a bit cheeky for John's liking.

"How lucky for me. It's always nice to see a friendly face and thank you for making the effort." What else could he say?

"I wish it was under better circumstances. How are you doing?" His face actually looked interested. If anything, Richard was a good salesman and he could make you believe he cared.

"As can be expected. I'm just hoping that Matthew and his team can figure out what is going on so that I can get out of here as soon as possible."

"Are you sure Matthew Crawley is the lawyer to get you out of here? I know of others whose reputation for getting the guilty exonerated is soundproof. Maybe you should look at one of those? I could help you get someone to come down here. You need to find the best."

John was getting flustered at Richard's comments. How did he ever allow himself to believe this man was great?

"Matthew is more than competent, and more importantly, I believe in him and he knows me. I appreciate the recommendation, but I don't need any one of those experts because I am not guilty." He was sure that even if he had kept his tone even, his clenched jaw when he spoke gave a way his frustration.

"Oh, I didn't mean to say..." Richard realized the mistake in his words and was trying to clear the air.

John cut him off. "Yes, I know you didn't mean anything by it. Don't worry."

They sat there for a few seconds, without much else to say. It was awkward. They had been colleagues for at least five years and for the first time, John felt like he had nothing in common with the man. What did they used to talk about before? John simply couldn't remember.

A dread started to take hold of John as he searched Richard's face. There was no reason for him to be here except for the issue of the partnership. The man, usually calm and collected, looked suspicious. Maybe he saw it in the eyes that scanned the room, trying hard not to focus on him directly. Or it was the way he ran his hand through his hair, trying to instill his confidence. He was interrupted from his thoughts by Richard's words, bringing the topic forth.

"Listen John. Let me get straight to the point. A little birdie told me that all the accounts are frozen and that Bates Airlift is hanging on by a thread. This pesky business of the embezzlement charge, which I am sure you will prove to be stupid and nonsense in the long run, is causing a bit of a ruckus with the finances in the company. I understand you need a cash injection so as not to go into bankruptcy. I have the money, $150,000 pounds, and it could be exactly what you need to stay afloat. It's time for us to resolve the issue of the partnership. I think you need me right now, and I want to be the one to save us. I want to save Bates Airlift."

John's blood began to boil. The business he created, and had built from the ground up, saved by a man of dubious moral code? The business he had lovingly cared for, brought out of the brink of ruin from Edna's machinations, saved by somebody who assaulted and continue to taunt his beloved? It was all he could do to keep himself from hitting the man for offending him and for saying such things. He closed his eyes instead, intent on counting backwards. That would help him remain calm and focused. As the numbers flashed through his head, he visualized all his thoughts. Richard was right. He was between the proverbial rock and hard place. He hated being there. He had a decision to make. He needed the money. Anthony might find an alternative, but he might not. They were running out of time. Bates Airlift was in trouble. Anna would hate him. His team needed him.

What would his mother, the wisest human he had ever known, do? _Johnny, sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing, are the same thing._ He remembered she would tell him that when in secondary school he encountered the problems of his youth. He wished she were here now to guide him out of this one.

"John…..Did you hear me?" When John closed his eyes and kept quiet, Richard must have thought he went mad. He had made no attempt to answer and at least a minute had passed.

John opened his eyes. "Yes, Richard. I heard you."

"So? Should I have my lawyer contact Matthew and put together the partnership papers?" Richard looked very eager.

It had come to this. The moment he had been dreading. Maybe he could buy time.

"I still have some things to work out with Matthew, but yes, go ahead. Let's start the paperwork."

And in that moment, John felt as if he were dead inside.

_0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_

Anna had been working non-stop for the whole day. She had declined invitations from Elsie and Pops to come over and eat or from Mary to come to the pub so that she could be fed, preferring instead to throw a frozen meal into the microwave and continue deciphering the files, the conversations, and the documents Matthew had provided.

Towards the night, her tired eyes and stiff muscles dictated she should take a break. Sometimes, things came to her when she took an hour or two to do something else. Her body always appreciated it, when she did.

She decided to turn on the telly, having not watched anything since her love had been arrested. As she flipped the channels, she came upon a movie that was just starting. She didn't want to watch anything too complicated; something that would make her think. She wanted romance, or humor – anything to take away stress. It was an oldie, from the late 50's. She'd seen it before, many years before. Her mother used to adore watching the classic, particularly Casablanca or anything with Cary Grant and she had spent many an hour with her mum, swooning at the actors of old Hollywood. These days, when Anna had the occasion to come across one of those movies that was good, she would watch it and instantly feel like her mother was sitting next to her. It was her way of keeping those memories alive. With the void she was feeling since John's arrest, having her mother with her was a great comfort.

The movie was just starting, so she fixed to watch it. It was "From Here to Eternity." It had won several awards, but to her, it wasn't the best movie ever made. It was interesting because it was damn sexy. As the movie progressed, Anna became drowsy. Her eyes couldn't keep up. It was apparent that the sleepless couple of nights since his arrest were catching up with her.

Minutes later, she was walking with John on a beautiful beach. The day was sunny and warm. They were obviously not anywhere in the United Kingdom, probably a beach on the Western Hemisphere, like Hawaii, or the Thai Coast, like Koh Samui. There was tropical vegetation everywhere, not a soul in sight, and kilometers of ocean to behold.

"It's so nice to be here on the beach with you," John added shyly. She could tell he was checking out her body in a bathing suit. It felt nice to be appreciated.

"It's a dream come true," she answered as the water of the waves lapped at their ankles and toes. A holiday with the man you love? What could be better?

They were strolling along placidly through the water, hand in hand, surveying the wonders of nature around them, feeling the coolness of the water every time it approached them.

"We should sit", she added, when she saw how after a while, the challenge of walking on the sand started to hamper his stride. She could tell there was a slight limp about him. Knowing him well, he would never complain, or even bring it up. A little rest might be in order.

They stopped at a small, secluded inlet, laying their towels and things further away from the water so that they could be kept dry.

"Let's go back to the water's edge," she added. "It will help us cool down a bit." John was already showing some signs of sunburn on his shoulders and the tip of his nose. He allowed himself to be tugged along. He didn't say much, but kept looking at her adoringly.

Once they were sitting on the water's edge, their bums and feet in the water, she offered to put lotion on him. She had brought it along with her, anticipating she would want to slather some on him soon.

"Is that for me?" he asked, when she popped the bottle's cap.

"Yes, I thought I'd rub some on your shoulders. I wouldn't want you to be sore afterwards." She took a generous portion of the milky liquid and transferred it to his body. She ran her hand gently, conscious to not irritate any burns he may already have.

"Oooh, that feels nice." Johns voice was humming, an obvious sign of pleasure.

"What does? …the lotion?"

"Hmmmm. No. The feel of your hands on me." He raised his eyebrows and grinned, flirting with her.

"Oh, you like that, don't you?" she had moved to sit on her haunches, slightly back of him, so that she could have a better range of motion. She reached deep and across his body, touching every bit of skin. She was rather taken with him too. Although she had concentrated on his shoulder, sometimes her hand ran across the hairs of his chest. Liberally sprinkled on his front, this feeling left her wanting more of him.

She heard him moan deliciously, louder this time, as her hand continued with her magic. He must have been fully protected with the sunblock by now, but she didn't want to remove her hands from him. He shifted his body slowly until his head was aligned next to hers.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he announced, and she let him. His arms encircled her waist and he slowly tugged at her, pulling her forward until she was nearly on his lap. He continued kissing her deeply. They were by themselves, having seen nobody else on the beach during their walk. When she wasn't expecting it, Mr. Bates skillfully moved them to where she was now lying on the beach and he was hovering above her. It felt absolutely sinful, nearly illegal, but he came down on top of her, and she wouldn't dare move him away. There legs were intertwined, his arms placed by her sides and she couldn't help but hold on to his broad shoulders as he kissed her.

His mouth. She couldn't get enough of it. He tasted of rum and strawberries, vestiges of the recent fruity cocktails they had shared. His lips were slightly chapped, a result of their sunny day, but she didn't care. He was exploring her thoroughly, and she delighted in feeling him so completely.

When they least expected it, a large wave crashed against them. It broke them apart instantly, but they were still held together. His wet hair made him more handsome. Judging by the way he was looking at her, and trailing the drops of water that were falling from her hair and onto her breasts, he was also feeling the moment.

She stood up, playfully, hoping to lure him towards the towels. IF they took their towels and looked for a patch of trees, or bushes, she might consider going further. He followed her, and she fell among the towels, him on top of her. He kissed her again fully, and she thought she'd died and gone to heaven. She'd never been kissed like that before, and didn't think it was possible to feel those emotions, and yet, here she was, with the man of her dreams and he was taking her places she'd never been.

"Anna, if you are going to sleep, you ought to go to your bed. You shouldn't make it a habit of sleeping on this sofa. You did it once already this week. You'll be sore."

Mary's voice stopped the illusion. Damn her. She had been dreaming and that dream was gone. It was replaced by the realization that he was far away and that they might not get the chance to be together if she didn't find what she was looking for.

_0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_

The weekend had passed in a blur. Anna had hardly left her house, preferring to spend it in her living room, amongst the tons of evidence she had accumulated. She had a million questions that she had asked of Joe and Joe was busy getting her the answers.

She also spent the weekend worrying about John and what he was doing. He was likely not getting a lot of exercise. He was probably not eating right, either. That propelled her to work twice as hard. Later that day, she would be meeting with Elsie and Pops to go over what she had. They were very good at giving their opinions and providing feedback.

She dreaded that it was Monday all over again. She loved Bates Airlift, but with John noticeably absent, it wasn't the same thing. She would rather be at home finding the information she needed to free him. She was also starting a new role this week. On Friday, Anthony met with her at Gwen's urging. He explained that before John was arrested, he had expressed his desire to see Gwen move into Sales and had suggested Anna cover the reception while Gwen did some training. Since there was a lack of tangible projects for her to work on, given that many things were on standstill until John returned, Anthony thought that was the most prudent course of action. Of course, Anna supported any activities that provided Gwen with more alternatives, so, she wholeheartedly agreed to take on those duties. Gwen had been speechless, when Anthony told her, and her first reaction, after leaving his office was to find Anna and hug her. It had felt nice, to see her friend so happy. Richard seemed cross all afternoon and both girls knew exactly what was going on. Anna hoped that this did not backfire for Gwen and she prayed that Gwen was safe from Richard too. She would have to be extra vigilant for her friend's sake.

She arrived early that day so that she could settle herself in and get reacquainted with all of Gwen's files and rosters. She had a difficult time sleeping anyway, so, it was best to come and start work early. It helped. She had been handed the keys to the supply closets. She reviewed everything. She opened John's office, just as Gwen had. She was careful this time not to linger too long, not like the other day when she was caught dazing. She proceeded to turn on all the machines. She sat at her desk, finally comfortable to start this new adventure within the company.

By the time Phyllis arrived, usually the first employee to start work, Anna was ready. Phyllis smiled and went even further this time, complimenting Anna for taking over so Gwen could seek advancement. It pleased Anna to chat with Phyllis for a few minutes and to see that the woman was kind hearted, wanting the best for their mutual friend. She left rather quickly, but it left Anna with a warm feeling. Little by little, the others arrived and the conversation repeated itself. When Richard arrived, thankfully, she was flanked by Tony, Jack and Alfred who were sharing a funny piloting anecdote with her. Anna's only hesitation to this position was Richard – she would have to face him every day. In her other positions, she could come in quickly and disappear from sight, getting to work quickly. He'd have to search her out to say the things he did, but here, she'd have no choice but to see him and probably put up with his skanky remarks. It was even more of a motivation to be finished with this case. The sooner she could land his arse in jail, the better.

A quarter after nine, when she'd already been working two hours and was going through the outgoing correspondence, something on the outside caught her attention. A familiar vehicle pulled in to the carpark. She could hardly breathe when she recognized the driver. What the hell was she doing here? She managed to call Anthony's extension through her nerves. She was so happy he answered on the first ring.

"Anthony, Vera Bates just drove in and has parked. She's walking toward the office now."

He hung up on her which Anna understood to mean he was on his way. The man was fast. He arrived by her side in a few seconds, the exact amount of time that it took Vera to reach the front door. She had a box in her hands, and entered as if she owned the place, which she did, but she showed no hesitation or concern. Her attitude, as always, was haughty and self-centered.

"Anthony, be a dear and open that door for me." The box she was carrying did not allow her to maneuver easily. She didn't even acknowledge Anna's presence.

"Vera, aren't you banned from coming here?" asked Anthony politely. He had not moved to open the door yet. He wished in that moment that he understood the terms of the non-molestation order against her. He wouldn't have to rely on her answer for information.

"No darling. I am not banned from these premises, I am banned from being close to John Bates, but, from what I understand, that worthless, soon-to-be-ex-husband of mine has gone and gotten himself into trouble and was arrested." She sighed, and in reflection, added "Poor fool." She stifled a giggle, as if his fate were a joke and talked again. "So … I am in no danger of running into him here and I am not breaking any laws. Be a dear, now will you?"

Anna's heart almost stopped when she heard those words, yet she remained calm.

Anthony relented after her explanation. He felt like he had no other choice but to let her in. She was still legally part owner, not until Matthew told him otherwise.

"What can I do for you, Vera?" he asked as she walked through. "Would you like to come to my office?" He gestured in that direction once she was inside.

"No, I would rather you came to mine." She walked straight into John's office, leaving a stunned Anthony and Anna with their mouths open. This was not her office. Anthony followed her, intent on finding out what she meant. She left the box on the desk and proceeded to close the door.

Gwen sprinted towards Anna. "Is that who I think it was?" Her cheeks were flushed from the excitement.

Anna nodded, not knowing exactly what to say. She was at a loss for words.

"Why is she here?" she asked, whispering. "And why is she in Mr. Bates' office?"

"I have no idea." Anna had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She was aware of Vera's own petition for partnership dissolution and divorce request, knowledge provided by Matthew. The fact that she was here couldn't mean that she intended to actually run the company, or could it?

No sooner than those thoughts ran through her head, when the door opened. Vera came out. A white-as-a-ghost Anthony stood behind her.

"Ah, Gwendolyn, I need you to put together a meeting." She realized Gwen was actually standing and Anna was sitting at the reception, meaning Anna was the staff assistant. "Or you, Amy…..Whomever is organizing the meetings these days. I want everybody in the conference room in ten minutes." When neither of them reacted to her words, visibly stunned with her petition, she added in a very demanding and curt tone, "Do it, now." She closed the door behind her, shocking the two girls.

Both of them worked in tandem to get it done, and in less than ten minutes, an actual record, the entire Bates Airlift team, save Evelyn who was on holiday, was in the conference room. Even the mechanics, who had a farther distance to walk, were there. The gossip of Vera's return had reached everybody's ears and prompted by the curiosity of what that meant, they were all motivated to be there.

Highly unlike the Vera they knew, she was on time ten minutes later. She walked into the meeting room full of staring, curious faces. A still pale Anthony was standing beside her.

"Hello team. Starting today, I am your new boss. I've come here to stay."

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**A/N: Oh my! Vera is back. What is going on? Is this as bad as it will get for John? Is William really Vera's lover? Will John go through with Richard's partnership? Will Anna find the evidence to free John? Did Pops get in on with Maude and Emma? Stay tuned for the answers in the next chapters. **

**Thank you for all your support, follows, PM's and reviews. I love reading what you think and I love the guesses regarding the storyline. I've received one correct guess on a part of the story, but I can't acknowledge it yet until we get there!**

**Also, I am sure everybody has seen the iconic beach kiss between Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster, at some point in their lives. It was yummy to imagine it being Bates and Anna. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you should see it on youtube. "From Here to Eternity – Kiss Scene on the Beach". Like my story, those lovers were also in the midst of an illicit relationship. That is one hot kiss for the 1950's….**


	18. Bad Management

**Hello lovely readers. Words – 11.7K.**

**Than you to supernioufette, .10 and SyfyRomantic for sending me PM's to encourage me to keep writing and finish the story. You all rock!**

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Anna was stunned. So were the others. Vera's words played over in her mind, much like an annoying song would. "I am your new boss. I've come here to stay." Mr. Bates would be mortified when he found out.

Nobody moved, and she continued with her explanation. "I am the new Manager, seeing as the other finds himself in trouble. From this moment on, you will take all direction from me." She crossed her arms across her chest, her body language daring those present to oppose her.

Anthony had been in charge, and he was present. When he didn't contradict her, this became the new reality for everyone. Michael and Richard also remained silent. Nobody dared to breathe.

"What will happen to Mr. Bates in jail?" asked a concerned Daisy. It was sweet of her to do so, Anna thought, but the poor girl should have known better. When did Vera care to ever speak about Mr. Bates?

"That is up to the authorities to determine. I'll assume he won't be here in a long time. We must move ahead without him." Her response was given without much thought to empathy to him, or the others in the office that had worked with him for years. It was no different than her prior treatment of him.

A gasp came from Phyllis, and realizing how vocal she had just been, she immediately shut herself down. She did not want to be the center of attention or target of any unwanted comments from the new manager. Vera did notice, but let it slide with a tilt of her head and instead sent a conspiratorial smile to her cohorts, sitting towards the back. Sarah and Thomas were together, as always. They said nothing, but their evident happiness felt like a slap in the face to everybody else who had any regard for their true boss and manager, John Bates.

Anna was lucky enough to be aware that Vera had made her own dissolution request, and so the events of that morning, while shocking, made sense to her. The others were clueless, in the absence of that crucial bit of information. Mr. Bates had made them believe Vera wasn't even allowed on the premises, and then she was here, taking his place. Confusion abounded.

"Will we be sacked?" asked the fearless James, and his usual flirty demeanor was gone. Even he sensed the gravity of this situation. His mood was on par with everybody else's. No matter how flirty Vera had been with the men and how much they might like her as a person, everybody had seen her failures as a manager. She hardly did anything while she was here. She was a source of conflict, rather than discipline. If she were now in charge, what chance did the company have? What chance did they all have at continued employment?

"Oh, well James. That's a tough question to answer. For the immediate future, I am sure that I am not ready to make any changes, but I won't lie. I think this company could use a good shake-up to bring in fresh perspectives in the form of new employees."

The ambiance in the room sunk even further. They were in for a rough ride.

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"OMG." Gwen didn't have a fancier comment to make, and judging by the blank faces shared by her coworkers, neither did they. No sooner than they were released from the meeting, Vera trudged out with Anthony in tow. The others just hovered in their places, waiting for the minute that her door of her newly selected office closed, so that they could congregate and discuss what had just happened. Thomas and Sarah headed outside, while most of the pilots met in the crew room. The kitchen was occupied by the usual – Gwen, Anna, Phyllis and Daisy.

"Double OMG." Daisy laughed nervously. "What just happened?"

"I'd say we died and went to hell." Those were the strongest words they had ever heard Phyllis say. She looked livid and wasn't even trying to repress this from coming through. Her knuckles were clenched, lending to her desperation.

Anna certainly agreed with Phyllis' comments and there was so much she wanted to say, but felt best to remain as neutral as possible. If she were to become emotional over this, her cover would be blown, and even worse, her feelings for Mr. Bates could be known. She remained silent.

"I wish we knew more. If Anthony was aware of this, I would have appreciated a forewarning." Gwen crossed her arms in protest. She rarely spoke ill of others, but her frustration was also evident.

"I'm sure he was just as surprised as we are. When I saw her coming, I called him and he met her out front. I heard the whole thing. He had no clue." The least thing Anna could do was defend the man. Gwen appeared appeased with her response.

"Wasn't she no longer a partner?" Daisy asked timidly. "Or did I understand wrong when Mr. Bates spoke about it?"

Anna felt a pang of guilt. She had so much knowledge, and she couldn't make it easier for any of them. She couldn't explain anything at all. Phyllis helped Daisy out instead. "What I understood is that he had applied for the dissolution, and that the courts would supervise the process. The process was probably not finished yet and with his current incarceration, is likely stalled."

"Yeah. That sounds logical," Anna commented so that at least it appeared she was participating.

"What is important now is how we proceed," added Phyllis. "I don't doubt that Mr. Bates will get out of jail and I, for one, want to keep the operation as smooth as possible so that is one less thing that he has to worry about."

_Bless her_, thought Anna. In all of her peculiar, closed-off and reticent ways, she had always seemed to support Mr. Bates and that's what was needed around here – supporters who could keep the operation going, regardless of what was to come under Vera's rule. It was obvious they wouldn't be able to count on the wretched likes of Thomas or Sarah.

"I hope he's back… Soon. I don't know what I would do if Vera became permanent around here," Gwen looked positively horrified at her own thought. "I guess that would mean no more Sales for me. She does everything that Richard wants. My training will be gone before it ever started…"

"Well, I don't suffer nearly as much as all of you, being in the air and away as often as I am, but, he's been nothing if not kind with me and I can see that this is really his company. I can tell that he cares more about it than she ever will, as it was only ever a diversion for her. I can't do much from where I am, but I will support him as well and hope that he comes back." Daisy was resolute in her declaration.

"I'll do whatever I can too." Before Anna could say anything else, they were joined by Tom and William who had come to the kitchen before heading back out to the maintenance hangar. All of the women knew instinctively to not say anything further. Not that these two men weren't trustworthy, they'd been hardworking and loyal before, but they didn't want this to become a large gripe session that could get out of hand. Anna still had her doubts about William too.

Their silence was too sudden and unfortunately, too obvious. "So, ladies... Did we interrupt something?" Tom's cheeky voice sounded out as all of the women lowered their eyes in mild embarrassment.

"No. Nothing important. I'll go back to work now." Phyllis managed a small smile and set off. She was quite quick about it, enough so, that Tom reacted to her departure.

"Did we do something wrong?" the chief mechanic asked when he was sure she was no longer capable of overhearing.

"Oh, please don't be offended by Phyllis. She's just very dedicated. She meant nothing by it," Gwen confirmed, eager to defend Phyllis and appease the young men. It worked, and they seemed relieved. Tom relaxed.

"Don't mind us; we just needed some sugar for our tea. We've run out." While Tom opened the cabinets, looking for a spare container, William held back. He was always quiet, that was nothing new, but he wouldn't maintain eye contact with anybody.

He must still be upset about his date gone wrong, thought Anna, as he held himself in a similar demeanor to when she saw him last week. Then, she noticed Daisy. Daisy had clammed up and there was an aura of tension about her.

Anna could tell William was very uncomfortable, and so was Daisy. Something was wrong between the both of them, as they couldn't look at each other.

"Found it. We'll be on our way." He handed the dispenser to William, as he bowed himself off as a flirtatious gesture. "Have a nice day."

William just offered a timid, "Bye."

When they were out of earshot, Daisy breathed again. It was loud, and not easy to ignore. "Oh, God…." She added. Her face reflected sorrow.

"What's the matter?" asked a concerned Gwen. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know what I am going to do to make it up to him. He won't even look at me."

"What? Why? What did you do?" Asked Anna in rapid succession.

"He's liked me for months and I've known about it, but tried not to encourage him. The other day, he asked me out, and I felt like I couldn't say no, he was just so eager." She put her hands over her eyes, in clear embarrassment.

Deep down, Anna knew what was coming, and she couldn't be happier. Was it possible? Could she be that lucky? After all, she did not want to believe William was capable of dating Vera.

"But what happened?" Gwen implored.

Daisy uncovered her eyes. "I said yes, and proceeded to forget all about it when Alfred asked me out."

Gwen understood what had happened, and she didn't seem too pleased.

"You stood him up?" asked Anna, pleading to the God's of the universe for her to be more precise and confirm it. _Let Daisy be the culprit, please_… she prayed internally.

"I did. I never showed up. He rang me, but I was with Alfred at the movies and I dared not answer." She pouted her lips. "The next day, I tried to apologize, but he wouldn't have it. He's not talked to me since."

_Hallelujah_, rejoiced Anna. William was NOT the lover and the twisted hand of fate that brought Vera and him to be side by side, was a coincidence. She still had to figure out who Vera was intending to see, this didn't solve her dilemma, but she decided to rejoice for another few minutes before worrying about that.

"Why did you agree to go with Alfred, if you were already committed to William?" Gwen was slightly annoyed. She seemed to take William's side in this. He really was such a sweet young man.

"I told you. I forgot… I've always liked Alfred, to be honest, and I never thought he'd ask me. I've hinted, but he's always pining for his ex – Ivy, from Patmore's Catering. When he asked, I was so chuffed, I completely forgot about William."

"You'll have to think of something, dear," offered Anna as she took Daisy's hand and patted it effusively. "It wouldn't be nice to leave things like this."

"I know," conceded Daisy.

With William no longer a potential lover, they were now down to three.

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Anthony couldn't believe what was coming from Vera's mouth. Besides antagonizing the entire staff and leaving them with the worry that their positions were in jeopardy, she had a list of management directives that she wanted to put into action immediately. By the little analysis she had afforded each item, she must have hashed this rather quickly. He read down the register she'd created – eliminating the names of the current aircraft and exchanging them for characters from the Lord of the Rings novels, reducing the catering offering to water and crisps, installing a Jacuzzi in the locker room, eliminating the customer courtesy Wi-Fi network, giving a raise to a few select employees of her liking, firing the law firm of Crawley and Blake, and hiring Sampson and Bullock in their place. Wow. There were at least another ten items.

"Vera, your initiatives are interesting." He was at a loss for words, really. None of them made much business sense. "Before we proceed any further, I'll need to tell you the exact same thing I told Mr. Bates when he brought forth his news about the impending business dissolution. Mr. Bates is still your partner until the court makes its decision. Until that time, you cannot hire, fire without cause, promote anyone, increase a salary or make any expenditures above one thousand pounds, unless both of you sign for authorization. If you want any of these things before that happens, I'll have to get his approval."

"Oh, stuffy Tony…..." She bat her eyelashes at him, as coquettishly as possible, and rubbed her shoeless feet against his legs. Slyly, she sat back and positioned herself to amplify and accentuate her bosom. "You can get these things done without John's authorization." She was affirming it, not requesting it. "Anyway, he's in jail and likely to be there for a long time. He's a thief for robbing company money. His point of view is worthless in my opinion."

Employing old tactics? _Oh Vera_, thought Anthony_. If you hadn't screwed me over with Edna, maybe your old charms would be working well on me right now._ _I loved you_….For the first time in his life, he felt empowered and mad. He had been pushed around for far too long. He could see right through her. He was naïve, but he wasn't a complete idiot... Mr. Bates had helped him see that and he would be eternally grateful. And then he did something he had never done before – he rebuffed her.

"I dare say, Vera, your feet have wandered away from you. Can you collect them so that we can continue this conversation professionally?"

She shook her head lightly, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. Her once amiable face, hardened slightly, but not enough to reflect ire, although he could sense she was not happy. She pulled her feet away.

"Tony, what's happened to the man I used to know?" she asked, still batting her eyelashes and with a less flirty, but still coquettish way. She rebounded nicely from the rebuff. "I've only been gone a few weeks."

"Oh, I'm still here." He smiled. It was best not get her upset. He still needed to be able to maneuver within the office and getting her upset wouldn't help. "I would rather just make sure everything is working well during these turbulent times."

Before Vera could even make any statements, Anthony continued.

"Speaking of turbulent times… Surely you are aware that given the current judicial sanctions we are facing, we do not have enough money to operate for more than three weeks."

"Mmmmm, Yes. I'd heard about the freeze." Vera pouted her lips with mock concern. "Only three weeks? How very sad." There was not an ounce of real concern in her reaction.

"What do you recommend we do, Vera?" He was guessing she had no clue. "Given that you have a list of demands that require cash outlays, I am wondering what your plan is to save the company from a very imminent demise."

Anthony knew that the only hope that this company had, rested in Mr. Bates hands. He would hate to see it go, as it had real promise. He hadn't continued working here just because it was a job. He could see the potential for growth, and having just won the CONOCO EXPLORATIONS account was proof that they could do more. It didn't seem feasible; however, if they didn't find a solution, and judging by the way she was sighing and shrugging her shoulders, he wouldn't be able to count on her, even if she had 50% responsibility to help.

"Oh, you can figure it out," was her curt response.

"Well, I have a loan offer from our bank. The amount they are offering would cover our operating expenses for at least two more months, hopefully enough until all of this is resolved, but the interest is very high, compounding at 20% and they would only allow the loan if we utilize one of the helicopters we do own as collateral. It would be due at the end of two months. If we have not resolved our issues, we could lose a chopper."

"That seems risky." Was her only response.

"Or, you and John can each give up a percentage ownership and we take a partner who can provide us more immediate liquidity." It was worth mentioning, and suggesting, that she too give up a percentage.

"Oh, no, that won't do. I won't be giving anything up. If that is the alternative, then we go with that, but the ownership stake has to come from John."

Typical, Anthony thought to himself. Always thinking of herself and not of the company.

"Vera, it's the only way. You should consider it." His words were firm, hoping she would focus on what he was saying. She wasn't taking the situation as seriously as he wanted.

A devious smile came upon her. "It's not the only way, Anthony. If John doesn't want to sacrifice any part of his current partnership, which will soon be mine anyway, then, we operate until we can, then liquidate our assets. Selling the land here and in Bridlington, plus what we can get from the sale of the helicopters, I expect that it is several million pounds. Much more than the one million I invested to begin with. It's almost a better option for me, if I am honest. No more insufferable staff to manage. I could take it all and go away."

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"I can't understand why you are playing hard to get." He sidled over to her when she was focusing on answering a customer service query and didn't notice him until he was right behind her.

Richard's voice provoked goose pimples all over her, not of the good kind, those that you get when you are incredibly excited at something. It was generated by the chill in the air, the coldness that wafted around her. And now, Mr. Bates was not here to protect her.

He seemed to understand that too, after his run-in with the owner, the last time he'd talked to her.

"John Bates isn't here to save you this time, princess. You best do as I say. My patience is wearing thin."

Anna, as always, had her voice activated recorder working, and thought it best to provide a warning of sorts, so that when her case went to the police, there existed evidence that she had denounced this behavior, never finding it acceptable.

"Richard, I find your harassment of me, unacceptable. I should like you to know that I am in no way interested in you, and I have never done anything to make you believe any sort of relationship between us would ever be possible. I would appreciate it if you desisted from making any lewd comments and started treating me with some respect."

"Or what?" he laughed in her face. "You'll tell papa Bates? Good Luck with that."

Unfortunately for Anna, Richard always knew when to choose his moments wisely. Rather unexplainably, she found herself alone. Vera was in her office, or rather, John's office, with the door closed, but the others were gone.

He leaned in until he was inches from her face.

"You better get used to this. As of last Friday, John Bates accepted my bid for a partnership percentage. You see, he owes me, and he's in a bit of a bind right now. So…. In a few days, it should all be settled, and I'll officially be an owner. If you want to stay here, there's only one way."

Anna didn't know what was worse, another harassment attempt from Richard, or finding out from the idiot himself that John would seek to partner with him, even with everything that he knew. This couldn't be happening. She was so stunned, she couldn't even come up with a clever comeback and this gave Richard the upper hand in talking to her again.

"I'm rather fond of your lips, or what I remember of them, so, why don't I see you tonight, on the tarmac, when the others have gone? Some of those choppers have really comfortable interiors."

The door suddenly opened and Vera was standing in her door frame. Richard jumped back. Anna wanted to be relieved, but, somehow, being caught by Vera was no comfort. It made it all worse. The eyes on the woman's face spoke of tempered rage.

"Alice! What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Bates. I was trying to do my work and Richard approached me." That was nothing, if not, the truth. Trying to be prudent, she said nothing else on the matter.

"Anna had a clueless look and I came to see if I could help. She's still rather new here, after all." Richard's defense made him look like a saint, and lambasted her. She wasn't sure this was helping him or her.

Vera did not look like she bought that explanation. This was not good at all.

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"Explain this to me so even an old booby like me can understand what it all means?" Anna had come to visit Pops and Elsie after a very tense first day in the office with Vera. When she'd accepted to stand in for Gwen, she didn't know how quickly the job description would change. What a difference between the co-owners. Working for Vera would be a hardship she never anticipated.

Now, she needed to explain so far what they had against her beloved Mr. Bates, and hopefully get her Godparents to see what a good man he was. Even if they were helping, she perceived they were still not that happy that she was involved with him at all.

"You're not an old booby," Anna answered back laughing. I am sure you'll understand everything."

"Oh, yes he is and don't you let him think otherwise," added Elsie as she walked from the kitchen with a fresh pot of tea for their evening sojourn. She set it down and as she did, she allowed her hand to trail across his back. Pops shivered from that seemingly innocent action.

They exchanged a look between them, one of those that Anna wished she weren't present for. What was it with these two? Before too long, they'd be kicking her out of the house so that they could utilize their time for other more interesting endeavors. They'd best carry on so that it was over sooner than later.

"Alright, settle down you two. Please remember that the man I love is in jail, and the absence of him is felt greater when you two carry on." She did love him, even when the knowledge of Richard's impending partnership was gnawing at her insides. She'd not had much time to process this news. She couldn't imagine Richard would lie about this. She didn't know what to think. If John, knowing her experience, had still decided to partner with him, that would be unfortunate.

Returning her thoughts to her Godparents, she noticed both colored in embarrassment, but they didn't take their eyes off each other. Not even when she emphasized the words regarding Mr. Bates. Mmmmm.

"So, thanks to Joe …This is what we have right now….." she took the piles of papers and arranged them. Both Charles and Elsie finally turned to pay attention to her. "John and Vera Bates both own Bates Airlift. According to the way accounting is done at the firm, all of the money that comes into the company is held in this main operating account. Based on a predetermined formula, there is a monthly disbursement to each owner, a payment on their gains. They are equal payments and very generous. The main operating account always has money. The amount of disbursement to the owners does not change, even if much has accrued within the operating account. The firm owns three helicopters, but leases the others, thus, leasing payments, and all expenditures, including payroll, comes from this account."

She turned to look at both of them. "Are we good so far?" They both seemed to understand, and she continued.

"There is a Swiss bank account in his name. It is not illegal to have a bank account in another country and in the last twenty years or so, Switzerland has made it more difficult to hide money in their banking system. They really didn't want that reputation, so, things have become more transparent. The thing is, John says he does not have a bank account from Credit Suisse, opened several years ago. There is 5 million pounds in that account and Vera claims the disbursements into that account were illegally channeled from the main operating account.

"Since he owns the firm, and is getting paid, why do they assume he committed fraud?" asked a curious Elsie. "Why would he steal from himself? It makes no sense."

"It depends on how you look at it. The purported account where he allegedly funneled the money to excludes Vera. You could say he was stealing from her, or stealing operating funds, but he didn't steal at all. I don't believe he did."

"So, how did the money get there if he didn't do it?" asked a confused Pops. "It couldn't have gotten their on its own."

"No, you're right. From what I know, only Mr. Bates, Anthony and Thomas have access to the main operating account. Thomas', main function is to do payroll and accounts payable, so he needs access at all times. Anthony hardly accesses the system, but he is the back-up in case Thomas is sick or unavailable. Mr. Bates, as manager-owner has access as well. He signs off on any disbursement and there are some, in small, recurring amounts, going across to the other account. They are small enough to not be noticed or cause concern; 30 pounds today, 15 tomorrow. Because they are small, they don't pose a risk, say, than if there was a disbursement of $10,000 pounds. That would be noticeable. Over an extended period of time, the small amounts add up."

"Well, couldn't somebody else have done them? Say Thomas? If he had access, or Anthony, why do they suppose Mr. Bates did it, vs. the others?"

"Good question Elsie. They tracked the IP addresses to that of his desktop and on occasion, that of his laptop at home. According to this information, all the transactions were done only on his machine. Those that Thomas did, which are the legal day to day payments, are done on his IP address, thus, the police can trace that only the illegal transactions were done by Mr. Bates."

"Oh, wow," was all that Pops could offer. "The case against Mr. Bates seems iron-clad, then." He wondered if Anna was getting in over her head with this. If the information pointed to the owner, whatever made her believe it wasn't him?

"Nothing is ever what it seems, Pops. You taught me that. If I know Mr. Bates, and even if we've only been together a short time, I believe I do, he wouldn't do this. If you knew the struggles he's faced, and how kind he is to his employees, how well seen he is in the community, you would agree with me too. This isn't in his nature."

"So how do you plan on proving it, baby girl?" asked a motherly Elsie.

"I know Vera is behind it. She has strong motives to hate her husband. He shared with me some of their past history and it is very likely that she is carrying out revenge on him."

Pops scowled when he heard her. "He's done things to her that requires revenge? Are you sure this is the man you want to be associated with?"

Pops again with his well-intentioned but misdirected concern - "Yes Pops. I know his entire life story. He told me, I didn't have to look for any records and discover it on my own and yes, I do want to be associated with him. Very much so."

Her end words, very passionately spoken, made Elsie reach out to stroke her hand. She wanted to be reassuring.

"Pops didn't mean it that way, darling, and both Pops and I respect your choices. You know what is best for you. Please don't be upset."

Anna smiled at both of them. "I'm not upset at either of you. Just frustrated that he is in this situation, and that you can't get to know him better. That's all."

Elsie tried to move the conversation along. "So, what are your next steps and what can we help you with?"

"Vera can't have acted alone. She's not that smart, technically. She may be cunning, and she may have put together a brilliant plan, but I rather think somebody else put it together by her request and my mind keeps going back to Thomas. It could very well be somebody on the outside, but Thomas is her friend, and he has more knowledge about our payment systems than anybody else in the company. If it's an inside job, my money is on him."

"Should we follow him?"

"Regrettably, because he is gay, and I was looking for potential lovers and not fraudulent cohorts, I've not investigated him properly. I think that is in order first. I just placed my order with Joe. Thomas Barrow's complete background coming soon… Then, Yes, I think you should follow him. I'll place the GPS tomorrow."

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"You are a sight for sore eyes." John held back the emotions he experiences at seeing his friend in the visitor room. Tears threatened to overcome him. He wasn't traditionally an emotional man, but being in place like this, with little support and few visitors could really break down a man. Rob had been allowed to come, and the moment he saw his friend, all the repressed emotions from the days he'd spent here threatened to come to the surface. He worked hard to appear serene.

"I am pleased that they finally allowed you outside visitors. I was flabbergasted when I learned that you wouldn't be allowed bail. Murderers and pedophiles get bail, but an alleged embezzler, doesn't? What kind of world do we live in when the scary people are free, and those with alleged paper crimes are in here?" He posed his question at the little camera that was hooked up to the top left-hand of the ceiling, thinking they could hear him. "It's crazy, I tell you…what they do to people who don't deserve it."

John smiled at Rob's fervor. "They can't hear you, only see you. That's here for your protection in case I attack you." His tone was sarcastic.

Rob's voice changed its tone from indignation, to concern. I've been mad with worry, but Matthew has been keeping us updated."

John momentarily closed his eyes, formulating deep thought. "I fucked up. Vera threatened me and I didn't listen. Now, she's had her way with me as she always said she would. Why did I try to divorce her?" John ran his hands through his hair. "If I hadn't done it, I would be miserable, but I would be miserable in my office and with my helicopters, and above all, free. Now look at me." He flailed his hands, attempting to accentuate the bleakness of his caustic environment.

Rob's concerned demeanor did not change. "John, if she got you for embezzlement, I can assure you that this was always her plan. The divorce only made it sooner. You don't think she would have done this eventually?" Rob's voice produced enough emphasis that John was forced to consider what he was saying. "You had a right to set yourself free and we will not let her win. You have all of the Crawleys behind you, your lovely Anna who will not relent, and according to Anna, most of your staff are behind you too. You are not alone in this."

A bit of determination came back into John's psyche. He was feeling very defeated, the weight of what Matthew had recently told him, corroding his self-worth.

Rob could tell his pep talk was having a positive effect. "…and when you get out of here, you have a lovely young lady who is pining away, and waiting for you to come back to her. That ought to be incentive enough."

John allowed himself to be happy and crack a smile. "Yes, she is lovely. I wish I could see her."

"….and she wishes she could have you back too. Mary tells me that their flat looks like something you would see on a TV detective show. She has pegboards all around the living room with information on all of them. She is very determined John. You chose a good woman."

"Yes, I do believe I am lucky." He hesitated for a few minutes before adding, "I love her, you know." It was less a question than a statement and John smiled timidly, the words coming out of his mouth without reserve. The solitude of the prison environment and his experience had caused him to evaluate everything around him. He did love her and Rob was the first person he ever told. He couldn't believe that he had said it out loud either.

Rob couldn't hide his excitement. "By golly, that's marvelous, old chap." His excitement was short-lived as a thought occurred to him. "Are you sure this isn't the solitude and your desperation speaking?" He didn't know what the environment was like, but was sure that it was oppressive, leading to radical thoughts and depression.

"There is desperation in me right now, and I won't deny it, but it's not that. I've known her only a short time, but it's the happiest I've ever been in my life. Now that I no longer have her around me, I can see it now clearer than I have before. The absence of her is more painful than being in here. I love her."

Rob renewed his smile. John's words convinced him that it was not the incarceration speaking. "It's soon, but, you deserve to be happy. When will you tell her?"

"Probably never, as I have to do something that will hurt her and she'll likely not forgive me." He looked crestfallen at the thought. He was still tormented by what he had to do.

"What?" Rob looked confused. What could possibly be so horrible that Anna would lose her interest in him?

"This incarceration has hurt Bates Airlift's finances. All my accounts are frozen. Anthony, my Controller, has urged me to raise capital, in exchange for a percentage of ownership. We need just enough to operate while I am in here."

"How does that hurt Anna?"

"Richard Carlisle, my Sales Manager, has put in a proposal, as he's got the money. He also nearly hurt Anna, in a way I cannot elaborate. If I take him as my partner, Anna will justifiably never speak to me again."

Robert was trying to comprehend what John had just explained. Why did things have to be so complicated? He couldn't imagine what Richard could have done to hurt the young lady. Mary had never mentioned anything, but then, as her friend, she might not want to. He wanted to know more, but John seemed closed to further discussion on this topic. He let it go and focused instead on the monetary issues. He knew a little about money. He had some too. Perhaps, he had the funds to help.

"How much money do you need?" he offered, thinking he might have the solution to John's problems. He wasn't rich, but his pub business did allow him a good living and he had some savings put aside.

"At least 100,000, preferably 150,000." John answered, not pinning too much hope on Rob's apparent interest. It was a heavy sum of money that the average business owner did not have on hand.

Rob's eyes popped open at hearing the shockingly high number. "Blimey. That is a lot," he added, losing the confidence he had moments ago. He allowed himself to share his friend's fear. Raising a sum such as that would be no easy feat. Cora's fortune had dwindled over the years, mainly because she'd been too generous, giving most of it away. He doubted they had that in her coffers. "I have about 25,000, but that won't do, will it?"

John nodded his head.

"I can look for somebody willing to put in the difference, but this would take time, John. Nobody out of the blue will give us 75,000, or more, without proper campaigning or an investment prospectus." He looked befuddled, combing through his mind on how he might go about it. Ever a good friend, he did not want to lose all hope.

"Time that I just don't have. Anthony will want to have the papers set up by next week. He has deadlines for things to pay. You don't know how much I thank you, though….. Knowing you would have helped is of great comfort to me."

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"Anthony, Richard came to see me about the partnership. He already knew. Did you tell him?" John was concerned that Anthony might be sharing too much information with Richard.

"No, I didn't. I promise…. but I think you shouldn't worry about that, you should worry about something else instead."

If Anthony didn't tell him, who did? Nobody else at Bates Airlift was aware of what was going on with his finances. Anthony stared John down, determined to make him focus. "What?" asked a resigned John. "Everything is going wrong. What should I worry about now?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to make it worse for you. I really am, but Vera turned up yesterday and has planted herself as the new manager." Anthony sighed, realizing how ludicrous his own words sounded.

"The new manager?" Things kept on getting worse, rather than better. When would it end? "She's never done anything remotely managerial in all of the years that we worked together. She is the queen of delegation, procrastination and laziness."

"Yes, the new manager… whether she can handle the work, or not." As an afterthought, and just as annoying, he added, "….and she's taken your office." John scowled, but Anthony continued. "She told me that with the dissolution, she would own everything and that she might as well start managing it as if it were hers." Anthony hated to pass on this information and he dreaded being caught in between them. John had gained his loyalty, but it was irksome, nonetheless, to have to perform as communicator between them. This felt like middle school.

"She can't do that. The law won't allow it." John appeared adamant and confident that he wouldn't lose it all.

"I am not a lawyer, John. Matthew could probably advise you better, but I saw Vera and I saw her determination. I believe her capable of everything. I would suggest you do something now to make sure you are not left on the street."

John put his hands on his head for what seemed the tenth time that day. "There isn't much I can do. My only friend who has any funds does not have enough to help me. I don't have family that I can reach out to. Saving myself is furthest from my mind. My priority is Bates Airlift. I need to save the company."

Anthony felt John's pain. "Well, to save the company, you have Richard…." John's face did not react positively to his suggestion. "John, our time is up. It's now or never." Anthony's words were strong, meant to convey the severity of the situation. He really couldn't have John think about this forever. It would take at least a week for the funds to be channeled correctly, and at least a week for the contracts to be approved by both sides.

"He had the gall to ask me for 50% at one time." John snickered, remembering conversations of the past.

"I am sure that was a negotiation starter. What percentage did you consider giving him for this?"

"At one point, up to 20%, if Vera had agreed to give up some of her stake too. Now, I am thinking somewhere between 10 and 15%. "

"…..and you understand she won't give up anything, right?" Anthony cocked his head to the side, eager to get confirmation from John that he wasn't under any false illusions about that. There was empathy in his eyes.

"Does she realize the situation we are in?" John asked, his tone incredulous that Vera wanted the glory of being Manager, but was not willing to make any of the hard sacrifices that came with the job.

"She does and she doesn't care. She told me that if the company goes bankrupt, she would just as easily liquidate the assets and her return on investment would still be larger than when she started." He could see John shaken by those words. He couldn't imagine how it felt to see something you created slipping away. "So, this is all down to you. If you want to give Richard the higher stake, for his $150,000 you could. It would be a bargain for him, but it is the amount of money we need to manage while this entire debacle is cleared up. Then, you would only have to worry that Vera will fleece you for the remaining amount."

"I get that I need to inject money, but I really don't want it to be him." Before explaining further, he addressed this. "I've gone over this in my head a million times and he is not worthy. I can't share why at this time. If I have to, I will, but, are you sure there is no other way?" His voice was reduced to pleading.

"I'm sorry John, but the terms the bank was offering are too risky. We stand to lose much more. Given the amount of time we have, I must confirm, Richard is your only way."

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"You'll be charged formally tomorrow, John. The prosecutor advised me that they have everything they need. I'm here to tell you what to expect."

"I'm all ears." John, usually sarcastic, was quiet. The harshness of his conversation with Anthony had eroded some of the fight he had within him. He'd had days of bad news, and it was best to just take this in directly. Antagonizing Matthew was not the answer.

Shocked by the subdued nature of his client, Matthew continued. "The Crown Prosecution service, based on the Fraud Act of 2006, will charge you with Fraud by Abuse of Position, and also, simple Theft. IF you are found guilty, you could be in jail for 5 years for the Fraud charge, and another 5 years for Theft."

"I am being charged twice?"

"One is for being dishonest as a manager; the other is for taking the money. Both of these are under the criminal court. Vera can also choose to sue you in a civil court, if she wishes to get back the money you allegedly stole."

John couldn't even comment. This was all ridiculous. "What's next?" he asked.

"They'll come to get you tomorrow afternoon. Try to look your best."

John rolled his eyes. _Really Matthew?_ As if he were allowed to groom himself freely…..he didn't know when his next bath would be.

Always a keen observer, Matthew picked up on John's reaction. "I know John, just, do what you can. I'll be there with Charles Blake, my partner. Remember him?"

"I think I've seen him before in your offices." He had a vague memory of young man, just as dashing as Matthew, but they'd never worked together.

"Good. Well, he has more court experience. I handle most of our contract work and he does most of the litigation. He will help me argue against your charges. The Crown Prosecutor will be there, and Vera is allowed to be there if she wants, with the lawyers who protect her personal interests. They won't have the right to say anything, though. They'll only just observe. After you are charged, we'll enter your plea of "Not Guilty". The court will then establish a date for your trial. You will be moved farther away from York, but not too far. You will be taken to Wetherby male prison."

"Oh goody…. A real home, where I can settle in. Will I get my own room?" His facetious comments where understandable, given his situation. Matthew chose to ignore them.

"From that moment on, we will be in a rush against the clock to find all the evidence we need to set you free. It is likely that the court will want to interview everybody in your office to find out what everybody knows. Any time they do that, I, or Charles will be present."

"My team will be dragged in here?" This time, John's face fell. "I had hoped to avoid this hassle for them, not to mention, that I would prefer to maintain my shame far away from them."

"I'm sorry I can't avoid that. In the course of our investigation, we may want to bring others in for questioning too. You'll never have to face them. It will just be them, with the lawyers.

John rolled his eyes again. That wasn't reassuring.

"To perk up your mood, I have a letter from Anna." Matthew's words had the desired effect.

At the mention of her name, a jolt of electricity ran through his body. "A letter? I thought she might not want to write any more since she won't be allowed to come….. How is she? Is she as beautiful as always?" Any written words from Anna would make the hideous last couple of days go away.

His bitter and sarcastic client turned into a prepubescent school boy. "Yes, a letter. She seemed heartbroken at not being able to come, but she is well. I handed her everything the Crown Prosecutors had given me on Friday and I am meeting her this afternoon to go over what she's achieved so far. And yes, she's still as beautiful as when you last saw her…."

He finally reached into his briefcase to retrieve it. "You go ahead and read it. Here is paper and a pen if you wish to write back. I'll be reading some emails on my laptop. You have 20 minutes."

_Dear John,_

_I was very heartbroken to learn that I can't see you as soon as I want, but rest assured, love, that I understand. Nothing is more important to me than getting you out and I would not want to become the instrument that complicates it all. _

_I am working as hard as I can to find the truth about things and am following some leads. I will find the answer and I will get you out. Please don't lose faith._

_I know your world seems bleak right now, and the news around you is only getting worse. I don't have any words of wisdom, but I can assure you that if you want me to be here, I will, and I will be waiting for you when this is all done. _

_Yours,_

_Anna_

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"I think Thomas is involved," shared Anna as she put forth the financials of her Bates Airlift colleague. "Look at his bank accounts. He has a healthy sum of money. Not too much that it stands out, but much more than the average office worker who would be saddled with car and house payments."

"Mmmmm," wondered Matthew out loud. "Maybe he lives with family and takes public transportation?"

"I've looked into that too," she reassured him, very confident with her information. "He drives an Audi A3 into work every day. It is a last year's model, fairly new. It is a pricey vehicle for somebody with a non-managerial accounting job and I would imagine his finances would be stretched paying for this moderate luxury, but I find no history of car payments in the last two years. We found no evidence, from any banks, providing a loan to Thomas Barrow to pay for it. How did he source it, then? Council records do have it registered as belonging to him, so, my next step is to determine how he acquired it."

Matthew gave a restrained grin. Anna was on to something.

"As for his house, he owns a flat. It is in an average neighborhood, in Fulford. He had a mortgage for it, a bank loan for 15 years. After three years, it appears to have been paid off completely. We checked if he'd inherited any money, or won a lottery, and there is no paper trail for either event. His father is a clockmaker and his mother a teacher, so they are not rich. There is currently no explanation as to how somebody with his salary, and no other known means of revenue, could buy and pay off a property in such a record time."

"This is impressive, Anna." Matthew took hold of Thomas' accounts to look them over. "Are we positive he doesn't have any other accounts?"

Anna wouldn't lie. Getting praise from Matthew felt good. Her confidence was growing.

"None in Great Britain. Joe, our cyber expert, is looking at Switzerland now, because if Thomas is Vera's helper, then it would be logical to look at this country. It's just a more time consuming search, on top of the other dozens of leads I asked him to follow up online."

"What about Vera?"

"We are tracking a series of withdrawals she's been making for a while. When I first started investigating for Mr. Bates, we noticed that Vera had been withdrawing money from her account, systematically. These withdrawals are in the form of cashier's checks. At the time, we decided not to track them because we were focused on catching her lover, and did not think this was pertinent to our case. Now, of course, we are revisiting this. It is a titanic effort because the money could be used for anything and there is no way, at this moment, that we can determine where it went. There is no computer trail for them, so we must find matching deposits, in the same systematic way, somewhere else. We don't have anything yet, but we will."

Matthew ran his hand over a piece of paper in his briefcase. When he looked at it, he became tense.

"What is it?" Anna inquired when she noticed his change in demeanor.

"I feel like a fool. This piece of paper is part of John's account information. It must have separated from the pile I gave you. I hope I didn't hamper anything by not providing it together."

"I'm sure you didn't. I'll take a look at it tonight. I've been trying to determine if there is a pattern to the deposits and right now, I can only see that they tend to be at night." She took the paper without looking at it. She wanted Matthew's attention for something else.

"Matthew, I need to ask you something." She meant to find out what was happening with Richard, and her voice took on a more serious tone, enough that Matthew focused on her.

"What is it?"

"I heard something unsettling today. I am hoping you can confirm or deny it." He appeared curious and Anna continued. "Is it true that John is partnering with Richard?"

Matthew appeared relieved that the question was something he could answer and apparently not something related to their illicit relationship. He wasn't averse to helping them communicate by being their courier, but he did not want to provide gossip from one to the other.

"Yes, he is."

Anna felt a rush of blood to her head. She'd never experienced high blood pressure before, but she imagined this might be what it felt like. Her heart started beating erratically and she felt like she might faint.

Her very obvious reaction was not immediately apparent to Matthew, until he realized she wasn't responding with any further questions. The firmness of her jaw and shallow breathing alerted him that she was agitated.

"Is that a problem?" he asked innocently, unaware of all of Richard's transgressions.

"You are my lawyer, correct? Anything I say is in confidence?" Anna looked at him as she sought to control her emotions. She reminded herself that it was her choice to put off making her accusation. John had supported her the moment she shared her experiences. She reminded herself that if she were able to talk to John, surely he'd have a good reason to partner with the man who'd assaulted her.

"Yes, Anna….Is there something I should know?" He braced himself. The last time he went through this charade with her, when she'd officially retained his services, he'd been made privy to a bombshell revelation. Something made him think he was in for another one.

"Yes. There is."

She proceeded to tell him everything Richard had said and done in the past, including John's knowledge about it. She even played the last snippet from their latest conversation where she was made aware of the partnership news.

"I'm not often shocked, but so far, with you, I'm two for two." Matthew had to think for a moment. This was of impact to Anna, no doubt, but he wasn't sure what it did for John's case yet. "Why haven't you reported this?"

"It would hurt John during the investigation and my cover would be blown. Anybody with decent investigative skills that does a background check on me will discover my association with Carson's Private Investigators. How soon after I put my accusation through, would it have taken Vera to discover this and put two and two together? It would have compromised John, and accelerated what has already happened to him. It would hamper my ability to do this job effectively. I want to accuse him formally, I do, but the timing is not right."

Matthew sighed, very audibly. Why must things be so complicated? He couldn't argue against her. Everything she said was logical. "As your lawyer, I would say that your welfare is the most important thing to worry about. The more you wait, the more we risk him hurting you or somebody else. We don't want to have that in our conscience. As John's lawyer, I would say thank you for keeping focused during those incredibly trying times and for continuing on this very delicate investigation."

"But you understand now, Matthew, why knowing that John would partner with him, disillusions me? I am setting aside my right to accuse him so that I can get John out, but he is doing something that shatters me completely, when he knows what that brute has done. I am having a hard time reconciling this in my head, even when the mature, adult, part of me knows John wouldn't do it if there wasn't a good reason. We're not committed to one another, but we have a strong connection with each other and he wouldn't be callus with my feelings. Please tell me what is going on? Please put me out of my misery. Please tell me there is something going on and it is not just John's carelessness?" Anna's face implored him and in the midst of such an impassioned plea, Matthew would not keep it from her; especially since she'd been told by Richard himself. It was not betraying a confidence.

"Now I understand why John is so slow to move on this. He's dragged his feet at making a decision, but he really doesn't have much of a choice." He always wondered why John was taking so long to move this along.

When Matthew explained the terms of the company's very near bankruptcy and John's desperation to find alternatives, Anna comprehended. She was heartbroken for his situation that he should have to resort to partner with a man he now loathed and was devoid of character, just so that his beloved company and its employees could continue. It made her feel better about him. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't just do that to her.

"How much is it?" asked Anna, "The amount he needs?"

"Optimally, $150 thousand, minimally, at least $100 thousand. Robert had 25 thousand and he was going to try and find investors."

"Mmmmm." The difference was $125 thousand. She'd have to think about it. Perhaps she should talk to Robert.

"I have another letter for you."

Matthew's words came out of the blue. They brought her back from where her mind had wandered. When he first arrived, she felt timid to ask for it, preferring to get the business out of the way so that she could concentrate on that first, and then enjoy her letter completely. "I guess I'll just do as we did the last time. I'll see you later." He handed her the letter and left to the bar.

She almost ripped the edges; she was so determined to read it.

_My darling,_

_It is a joy to get any letter from you. Your first message, though short, has helped me survive the last few days. This new letter will help in the coming days._

_I fear you are right that I feel bleakness all around me. Every bit of news I get is worse than the last, and the bad news doesn't seem to end. I try not to lose faith, but it is a task I feel I am failing at. I am sure Matthew may have shared some of the worst parts with you. As the owner of Bates Airlift, I have the responsibility of saving the company from these actions Vera had undertaken. I don't have many options that I can seek, sitting behind these bars. I cannot see everything that I built go to pieces, or the staff I employ, deprived of their livelihoods. The only option I am afforded, while saving the company and the team, poisons my soul, for in this action, I feel that I am betraying you. I must take Richard as my partner, as he is the only person that is ready and willing to provide the much needed funds. This is a decision that I have not come to lightly, and one I would not undertake if I had another choice. Please forgive me. The knowledge of what he has done is not forgotten and will never be forgotten._

_Your words bring me great comfort that you are working hard to find the evidence that might set me free. Your assertion that you would wait for me also fills me with hope. There is nothing I want more, than to leave this place and run straight into your arms. I am no fool, though, and understand that you may change your mind once you realize that Richard will become a permanent fixture in the company. I understand if this changes things for you. Please don't feel like you need to continue this on my behalf. If any part of this is painful for you, I release you. Your well-being is more important to me than anything else._

_Yours,_

_John._

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She'd not written back. Even Matthew was surprised to not get anything in return from her. She'd said nothing and he didn't ask. He awkwardly put his things away as she said good-bye. Why? She wasn't sure. She was certain that in the limited time afforded, he couldn't employ any further tactics to get his funding in order. Thus, she understood the reason that brought Richard front and center to this issue. She wanted to write him back, had even scribbled a couple of lines, but in the end, it proved too much, under the short amount of time that Matthew usually allotted for such missives between them. She didn't want to say anything that could hurt him, or anything that would hurt her. Her mature side understood it all, but her heart was still in pain. All she needed were a few hours and she'd think of something.

Upon arrival to her home, ready to immerse herself in the neat piles of documents all over the house, she received another tweet from incognitohelper. She'd not heard from him or her in the last couple of days. She sighed when she heard the recognizable pinging and shrugged off the negative feelings that accompanied the notification of the new message. She was annoyed, more than anything. What did this person want now? She remembered something her mother used to say. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Thus far, all these tweets had done, was to make her nervous, and none had provided any really helpful information. So, why were they writing to her at all? She ignored it, while she prepared herself a meal. Half an hour later, she finally gave in to the curiosity and read the missive.

** eyeinthesky You should look at TB. **

TB? Was that Thomas Barrow? Nothing else came to mind. No other initials matched. She felt a sudden surge of positivity. _Aha!_ she exclaimed to herself. She'd already looked into him and what they'd discovered about his finances was providing promising leads. She felt proud of herself and empowered for being one step ahead. She'd thought of that herself and hadn't needed the help. So much so, that for the first time ever, she decided to write back.

** incognitohelper I am looking at TB. Who are you? Why won't you reveal yourself? How do you know about me?**

When the send button was pressed, a nervous energy accumulated at the pit of her stomach. Oh…. _Please respond_….. She laughed at herself. She realized it was no different than sending a text to a prospective beau and waiting for a reaction. In the meantime, she took the opportunity to explore incognitohelper's account. There were no changes. The account had no followers and was following only her. _Mmmmm_, she murmured. _Still reclusive_. Then, the response came after only a minute. Anna let out a squeal. She couldn't believe that she was communicating with her troll. She was actually excited.

** eyeinthesky If you are good at what you do, you'll figure it out. There is no time to spare. Keep working.**

_That's it?_ She would have hoped for more. _Whatever_, she said to herself. _I will figure out who you are!_

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Anna's morning had proven successful. She timed her arrival to not be early again, which also proved a benefit when she stayed in bed an additional twenty minutes. Her night had been rough and a minute of additional rest was certainly appreciated. When she parked her vehicle, next to William's, she did not require much effort to extricate the GPS apparatus from the wheel well. She was convinced the young man couldn't have eyes for another, not after the way he was pining after Daisy. Thomas' shiny Audi was only a few cars forward. She performed the transfer efficiently, as she leaned against the car to pick up her own car keys that were "accidentally" dropped as she walked away from her own car. Elsie and Pops would now be able to track Thomas.

Most everybody had already arrived by the time she made it to her desk. Vera was missing, and that was no different than before. Richard, Evelyn and Jack were yet to arrive was what she noted as she did a visual sweep of the carpark. It wasn't that late either.

She set about her day and printed an agenda for Vera. The woman had no appointments. Another full day of pretending to be something she was not. On her desk, she also added a stack of invoices that Phyllis had prepared to send out to their customers. She stuck a post-it with a reminder "For your review and signature" on the pile, just in case she did not know what to do with them. Billing their customers and getting their money was essential right now. She'd have to harass Vera all day for her to get it done.

Once she was at her desk, Evelyn walked through. He'd been absent the last few days, taking holiday.

"Anna! Are you here now?" The pilot looked surprised.

From the corner of her eye, Anna saw her new manager drive in and park.

"I am," she answered sweetly, "Gwen is doing some training for Sales and I'll be taking her place."

She wondered if he knew about Vera. If he was the lover, he would already be aware, even though her GPS and the one placed on his own car, still being tracked by Pops and Elsie, reflected no match for them. They were never in the same vicinity together. Anna had also been surveying their phone records and they hadn't spoken to each other either, not that these records could tell. If he was the lover, they were communicating in some other fashion, or going through a prudent "break" while the legal issues resolved themselves.

"That's so nice for Gwen. How are you finding the work?" He'd never been rude, or overly chatty - just a smiley, friendly bloke, but he was firmly planted in his spot, wanting to chat. For Anna, that was a first.

"It's not hard at all, although I am still fairly new at it. I only did it for a week almost two months ago."

She could see Vera getting close. She was only a few steps away from the door. She appeared upset. Oh golly. That's all she needed, an angry Vera. Evelyn didn't seem to notice, as he had his back to her.

"If you ever need my help, don't be afraid to ask. I'd be more than willing to explain anything flight related. I am sure I'd be useless to you for accounting questions." Was he being nice, or flirty? Anna smiled back, as a courtesy. She looked at his body language, his smile, the candor in his eyes. She made up her mind. Nice. He was being polite and a good colleague. Not flirty.

"Astrid!" Vera called to her as she opened the door and walked in. There was purpose in her stride and the tone of voice suggested suppressed irritation.

That was a new name. During her tenure, she'd been called Angie, Alice and Amy, but never Anna. Did Vera actually spend time every morning figuring out what different name to call her?

"Yes, Mrs. Bates?" Anna answered sweetly, determined that Vera should not get the pleasure of seeing her lose control. She swiveled her chair to face her directly.

Evelyn stayed put, confused as to what he should do. He was standing straight, as if he'd been caught in the middle of something illicit. He looked caught off guard by Vera's presence. Maybe he didn't know about her return at all.

"This is the second time this week I have caught you flirting with the staff and I will not stand for it."

At that precise moment, Anthony stepped out of his office, as if he were on his way to the kitchen. Giving Anna no time to react to the ludicrous statement, Vera called to him. "Anthony, come here."

Anna was left startled, just as much as Evelyn. He looked like he wanted to hide under a desk, or disappear completely. Anna was embarrassed for him that he should have to witness one of Vera's tirades against her. He appeared ashamed to have caused her harm. She wished this was an episode of Star Trek and that she could teleport herself and Evelyn out of there. Anywhere was better.

"She wasn't flirting with me, Vera. I've been away. I asked her what she was doing up here and she explained her new role." God bless him for defending her. He was a true gentleman, and a decent human being.

"Don't defend her Evvie. I saw it with my own eyes - not once, but twice. First Richard, now you."

Anna rolled her eyes. Oh Lord. What was it with this woman? Anna was burning with repressed rage now, trying to be a lady in the midst of a very appalling show of command. She was sure she was as red as a beet. Her blood was boiling. _Stay calm_, she told herself.

"I was not flirting with him," she added in as neutral a voice as she could. It was laced with frustration and incredulity. "As Evelyn states, we were just chatting."

Anthony made it to where they were. He looked mortified, since he'd heard the last words. Vera's high pitched accusation had bellowed through the office and it brought out Thomas and Phyllis to peak out from the Accounting enclosure. Gwen and Sarah also turned from where they were sitting. Vera had the audience she wanted.

"Yes, Vera?" he asked. He shot Anna an apologetic look.

"She's fired as of this moment." She turned to Anna. "Get your things and go."

Gasps were heard everywhere. Anna was sure her blood sugar dropped at hearing those words.

Anthony stepped in. "Vera, you can't. Remember what I said?" His words reflected stress beyond belief.

Anna didn't move.

"I can. She is not an employee, is she? She is an intern. That policy you told me about? That I have to wait to make any changes? Well, I spoke to my lawyer and it doesn't apply to her." She turned to Anna again.

"I said, take your things and go."

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**A/N: What a bitch, that Vera, right? The last chapter and this one have been somewhat "fillers" as I start to move the story to the final stretch. Thank you to those reviewed when there was not as much action. I appreciate your comments, even when the chapters may not have been as glamorous. Anna will visit John next chapter, so Banna will be back. The lover will be discovered by Chapter 20.**

**We are about 5 chapters away from the end. I may not post for a while because I am at a point where there are a lot of details and plots to resolve and I feel I need to write the whole thing out, before posting individually, to make sure my timelines work out and that I don't miss anything. I want to make sure I can go back and edit a chapter if I need too. I don't know how long it will be, but number 19 is already written, and 20 is 75% done, so, its just21-23. Rest assured, I've not abandoned the story. I'll post updates regarding my progress in my profile. Hopefully, you'll all still be around to read it when I start posting.**


	19. John's Alibi

**Hello lovely readers. Thank you for your patience. I said I wouldn't post any chapters until I was confident that I hadn't messed up my timeline and plot point resolution. I am sufficiently advanced that I feel I can move forward with this chapter. I don't think I will post the next one, though, until I finish writing chapter 23 that I've just started and is pivotal.**

**This chapter is very Anna centric. John is still in jail and will be for just a while longer.**

**Words 13.3K**

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Bitch. Anna couldn't get the word out of her mind. She wasn't prone to the use of foul language, but her mind couldn't get away from thinking of Vera and automatically repeating it out loud. Vera and bitch were already associated together in her subconscious. She must have repeated the unseemly word half a dozen times since that morning. She kept reliving the situation on her drive home, no matter how hard she tried to think of other things.

"I want you out of here in 15 minutes," the woman had bellowed as she walked away and into John's office. She didn't turn back once and closed her door behind her with a resounding boom.

Gwen trotted to where she was. "This isn't fair," she added with consternation, addressing her words to Anthony. The man was visibly shaken and could only raise his hands in in a gesture of hopelessness.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," was all that came from his mouth. There was defeat visibly written all over his face.

Evelyn could hardly compose himself as he looked on in horror. "It's me that's done this. Isn't it?" He was in obvious despair, although his façade, having been trained as a military pilot, shielded most of his emotions away. He couldn't comprehend how his simple actions could cause somebody innocent such a fate. "I am so sorry Anna. I'll go talk to her. Perhaps she'll come to her senses." He walked the few steps to her office.

"Don't Evelyn. I appreciate it, but, I am not sure what good could come of it and it might get you and the others into more trouble."

In the midst of all of the turmoil, Anna wondered if Vera's reaction was one of jealousy. Her and Evelyn's conversation, completely friendly, might have worried her from afar. Could this be a sign of him being her lover? And now, he wanted to try and revert the situation? Did he have any specific influence on her?

"I am not afraid," he answered. "I don't need this job. I am here because I like it and because I respect John Bates. I don't know what she is doing here, but if this is an indication of how the company will be run in the future, then I don't want to be here. She can sack me too if she wishes."

How kind of him, she thought, as she saw him move towards the office. He was the true personification of a gentleman. He opened Vera's door, stepped in and shut the door behind him.

Gwen gasped. Anthony was still speechless, but his eyes popped open with Evelyn's actions.

Anna didn't wait for the outcome. Instead, she set about getting her things. She didn't have too many belongings to gather. There was an old tea mug in the kitchen she cared not to retrieve, as it would lead her to walk by Sarah and the last thing she wanted was to put up with the smug, sour face of that wench so up close. She took her file folder with the internship papers that resided in her desk, a favorite pen that John always had on his desk and that she had pilfered recently, a staff picture that had been taken during the Make a Wish event when they were all bedecked and that was it. Any important papers or evidence, she had already taken home, and thus, there was nothing else that she was worried about.

Anna was thankful that none of the other pilots had observed the situation, and neither had Tom or William, allowing her to make her departure without much fuss. As she moved towards the door to the exit, she turned around one last time. Sarah was at her desk, smiling way too much. Thomas was stood still, without much of an emotion, next to Phyllis. Phyllis didn't move towards Anna, remaining in her place, but the fear in her eyes was evident. She nodded at Anna, as a sincere gesture and her reticent way of saying good-bye. Anna didn't expect a big show of emotions from her, but felt the kindness being bestowed.

"Won't you wait until Evelyn comes out?" Gwen implored, rubbing the tears away from her eyes.

Anna was having trouble containing the rush of emotions that were brought forth. Would John think her a failure for not being able to maintain the position he brought her into? Leaving would make it more difficult to investigate his case and get him out of jail. How would she maintain the link? Plus, she had developed friendships. One look at Gwen and the tears came forth. Gwen had been her ally from the very beginning and was a good friend. The redhead would be missed and Anna hoped that they could continue their friendship outside of the Bates Airlift compound.

Water pooled in her eyes. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Even if he were to manage it, she would take out her ire on everybody. I might as well just go and save all of you from unnecessary turmoil." Internally, she did want him to come out and save her, for it meant that he might be the lover. She wanted to know before she left.

Anthony pulled out his hand, offering it to Anna. Anna took it. She had nothing against Anthony. There was nothing he could have done.

"It's been a pleasure to work with you. When John finds out, he's going to be livid. He liked your work very much and I am sure that when all of this is fixed, and we are back to where we should be, he will see to it that you are compensated, or brought back."

"That's kind Anthony. Thank you and thank him. He and Gwen have my contact information." Before turning away, she added. "My keys. I won't need them anymore." She handed them over.

Gwen hugged her and she hugged back.

When she walked out the door, she could see Evelyn emerge. He nodded negatively. If he didn't manage to convince Vera, then probably wasn't the lover. That meant that it might be Michael or Richard.

Bitch. She said again as she drove into the carpark of her flat. If there was any good to come from this, it was that she now had more time to work on getting John free. This wasn't the end of the world. She would make it work.

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Michael or Richard? Again, there was nothing that said that the lover had to work for Bates Airlift. This was only John's hunch that led him to believe that the lover was from inside, and now that Anna had discounted all but two of the men, she was uncertain that he was right, more than ever before.

Richard was an arse. He had proven time after time that he was a manipulative misogynist, but if he was Vera's lover, what was he doing harassing her¸ and in the office of all places, where Vera could witness it? If he was the lover, he wasn't very devoted to Vera at all. It must be sex, not love. Quite possibly, he and Vera were leeches, sucking the other's blood in a beneficial symbiotic relationship until they had no use for each other. If that were the case, then she understood Vera's motive – seducing one of John's senior employees, one with much influence and power would deliver a hurtful blow. But him, what benefit did he get? Did he think that it would help him gain the partnership percentage? And if he did get it, then what? He would be part owner too, forming a ludicrous love triangle?

Michael had been supportive of John in the past, defending him in the wake of his incarceration. Was that guilt, leading him to take that stance? Had he partaken of his bosses' wife's charms and now, he felt he had to do something to make up for it? Pops and Elsie had followed the trail on his GPS and at no time did it lead to Vera. Was that a sign that he had awoken from his deceptive practices, looking for a way to make it up to him? Michael appeared an honorable man, and the correct course of action if he had awoken and seen the error of his ways, would have been to rescind his employment contract, quietly and quickly, before a scandal could ensue. If he hadn't done it, then it couldn't be him. Anna just couldn't see it.

Neither of the men as Vera's lover made sense and she was just as befuddled as when she started. Another mistake would have to be made, by Vera, and they would be caught. If she still had the lover, it was bound to happen. Vera was getting cocky and confident and that would lead to carelessness and to her downfall. As she sat and pondered, Anna reminisced that the one thing she regretted not doing, was implanting a camera in Vera's office before leaving. Or John's. A camera would have been very helpful and she wondered if she might still have a chance of putting one in. It was unlikely that they would have changed the code on the door after one day since her departure. It had not been changed when Vera left, security not being a big concern of the company's.

She would consider it. Maybe she would go back later that night.

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Anna took the sheet of paper that Matthew had handed her when they met yesterday. It was the last sheet of transfers made from the main operating account into the Swiss account. She was scanning the info into an application that was transposing the data from the sheet into a Microsoft access database so that she could run queries and determine if there was a pattern. The majority of these transactions were at night. In fact, after she ran a query, she determined they were all at night, mostly between 8 and 10 pm, with the odd exception much later. John had an amazing work ethic, staying on until all of the workload was done, but he was usually gone by 730pm. Why would he only commit these fraudulent movements at night? They alternated between his home and his office. It seemed less a strategy and more a result of convenience. Perhaps the actual perpetrator could not commit the fraudulent movements during the day, and had to do them at night. That leant to her theory that Thomas was involved. He always left on time, staying only late one or two days at the end of the month when they needed to close out the books. He couldn't do them earlier in the day because Thomas was working. How could she prove it, though?

Anna ran a query for the dates to determine if there was a pattern there. Maybe all on a Monday, or always on a weekend? Laptop IP address on a weekend and office IP address during the week? None of these queries maintained logical pattern. They were always quite different.

A few minutes later, as she tried to find connections within the data, she saw a date that stood out. There was a transaction two Saturday nights ago, at 11:00pm. This was a week before his arrest. Wait. Was this possible? A chill ran up her spine. She looked again to make sure she wasn't seeing wrong. No, it was there, clearly stated. Saturday, June 21st at 11:00pm. Fifty pounds had been transferred out of the account, except there was no way he could have done it, because at that time, they were in bed together, in Scotland. She waived her hands in excitement. She had the proof that he had not committed this crime.

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"John Bates, how do you plead to the charge of Fraud by Abuse of Position, perpetrated against Bates Airlift?" read the clerk of the court in the packed court room. John wondered who all these people were. Robert was there with Cora and Sybil. Bless them, he thought. The Crawley's were good friends. Vera, thankfully, had not come and that allowed him to maintain his anxiety at a manageable level. If he'd seen her, he might not be able to suppress his anger, and say things that he might regret. He did not know who her lawyers were, as there were too many official looking people in suits. Yet, they must have been there too.

"Not Guilty," he responded at the urging of Charles and Matthew, his lawyers who sat next to him. He felt the flash of a camera go off as he spoke and dreaded that this would end up in the newspapers.

"John Bates, how do you plead to the charge of Theft, perpetrated against Bates Airlift?" the clerk of court repeated again.

"Not Guilty," he responded with the same enthusiasm as before.

"Since Citizen John Bates has entered the plea of Not Guilty twice, the Crown Prosecution service will move forward to try this case in three weeks. Are there any further questions?"

Charles Blake stood up.

"Your honor," he looked directly at the judge who was presiding over the hearing. When the judge nodded, giving him consent to keep talking, Charles added, "My client is an upstanding citizen, with prior military service and deep roots in the community. I would like to request formally that the decision to forbid him bail be withdrawn. He will relinquish his passport, or be confined to his residence if it pleases the court."

John prayed that they acquiesced to this. Could he get a break, please?

The judge looked over the paperwork.

"John Bates owns several helicopters and is a pilot himself. He doesn't need a passport to get out of the country. All he has to do is gain access to one of his assets. I must deny the request. The prisoner will be transferred to Whetherby prison today. Case closed." The man stood up and exited the room. Some people from the audience did as well.

John hung his head in defeat. The bailiff approached the table where they were sitting. John was to be taken away.

"Just five minutes, please." Matthew said to the man and he stood guard next to the table, but made no move to take John.

Matthew spoke very emphatically. "Do not be discouraged. We knew this would happen. This is not a blow to the case. This is only a procedure. We already knew they wouldn't grant you bail. Now, we have three weeks to get the information right and get you out of here."

John wordlessly nodded and noticed Robert, Cora and Sybil approach as close as they were allowed. They stood against a barrier, a mere couple of feet from him. It was close enough that he could listen to what they were saying.

"John, were behind you a 100%," stated Cora and Sybil added, "Justice will prevail Uncle John, and you will get out." They held hands and it warmed his heart. They were sweet to support him. He didn't feel alone in the world when he had such good friends and that helped.

"John, old boy - I'm here for whatever you need. I'm working on that other thing for you and I'll visit you in prison as soon as they let me."

"Time," repeated the bailiff and he reached for John. He was led away from them immediately, ready to start a new adventure in a new facility.

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Anna drove to Bates Airlift at 11:00pm, a time, she thought, where there ought not to be anybody else. She had parked half a kilometer away, on the road, and with binoculars, had determined that there was nobody coming or going. Still, the absence of cars did not mean that the place was empty and she needed to be very careful so as not to get caught. Up until today, all her comings and goings were legal, but since Vera fired her, she would be trespassing and breaking the law. She did not want to get caught up in any legal troubles herself, but the thought of catching Vera was her motivator.

She came closer from where she was and instead of parking inside the lot, she parked her car outside, on the street. She had borrowed her Godparent's smaller car so that nobody, driving by, could recognize her old jalopy. Just like her Godmother, she had a black stealth outfit that was form fitting and flexible, allowing her ample movement. She carried a sack with all of the tools she would need to install the camera.

In no time at all, she was inside the foyer. She had turned in her keys that morning, but had made copies. She was very nervous and almost dropped the keys inside. Her hands were shaking when the entry code was punched in. She held her breath. The light turned green and the magnetic latch released, opening the door. She breathed out relieved. She had never liked this side of the business, those tasks that required illicit actions. She hoped to never do it again. She was only doing this because of John.

As a precaution, she did not turn on the lights. It would be visible from the outside. She took out a flashlight with different intensity settings that allowed her to adjust the light to the task at hand. She pointed it forward, moving about with ease in these familiar spaces.

Anna did not have a key to John's office. She had never asked for one, only requesting Richard, Anthony and Vera's when she implanted the listening devices almost two months ago. She had never been very good at picking locks either, no matter how much Pops tried to teach her. She would have to be smart about it instead and she knew exactly how she wanted to do it.

There was a filing cabinet next to the entrance of John's office. If she could get on top of the cabinet, she could remove the ceiling tile above the door. She could attach the battery operated camera to the metal ceiling grid and carve a small hole on the tile where the camera could watch through. It didn't have to be that big, which was good because she wouldn't want Vera noticing it.

In a few minutes, she brought the sturdiest chair she could find and placed a box of Phyllis' invoice records above it. It was solid enough to give her the height she needed to get on top. She stepped atop it and it was nearly enough, but she still needed a few inches of additional height to get herself up. It was in times like these that Anna resented being so short. She came down reluctantly and went to get another stout box full of invoices. She dragged it across the rug to where she needed it and then shuddered. Her challenge would be to get it on top of the other. The stouter and more perfect the box, the heavier it was. She bent her knees and picked it up, carefully. Groaning, and with all the energy and zeal she could muster, she managed to get it up, on top of the other and finally, the pile was high enough that she could hoist herself onto the metallic cabinet.

Like the sound recorders she had used before, this camera was activated by a motion sensor. If Vera was in the office, it would record her activity. The battery would last a week, and it would transmit the images every night through customer courtesy wireless network. She wished the battery could do more, but a more sophisticated apparatus would require some hard wiring and she could not afford that type of installation at this time. If she did not have what she wanted in a week, she would have to come again and replace it.

She made it up the makeshift tower, conquering the filing cabinet, and moved the ceiling tiles, placing them to the side. She only needed to remove two. She poked her head above the grid in the space of one missing tile, and worked on the space in front. The plan worked well. From her perch above, she could see right through to John's workspace. Vera had removed his pictures and the model helicopters were gone from his desk. How quick she was to make the space her own. If she had any decency at all, she would have stashed them in the cupboard of his office, instead of chucking them out. She made a mental note to check the rubbish bins that lined the side of the compound. They were close to the carpark, so, accessing them wouldn't be a problem. Knowing Vera, she probably did toss out all the things that were important to him.

The process of installing the device did not take long. She had done this so many times before that it was second nature. It was pointed directly at the desk. A fairly sharp knife was retrieved from her sack and she carved a break in the tile. It was less than an inch in diameter and would hardly be discerned. Vera had not been in that office long and would likely not notice the difference.

She put the ceiling tiles back in place, descended her pedestal and moved everything back where it belonged. She took a rag from the kitchen and wiped down the surfaces around where she had worked, removing the dust that had fallen from the tiles. It was imperative that there was no evidence available that something had been moved. When she was certain that everything was in order, she left the building and made it to the outside. A breath escaped her, as she relaxed, relieved that she was no longer in a situation where she could be caught.

Before she went back to her car, she stopped at the rubbish bins that lined the corner of the compound and looked in. She flashed the light inside. Aha! Just what she was looking for. She found John's framed pictures, a total of six, and two toy model helicopters. The helicopters were broken, from the force of being tossed, but Anna was certain she had all the pieces. When she had time, she would put them back together. To get them all, she had to hang herself over the side of the bin with her legs dangling out. She giggled at herself, thinking she must look a sight, her bum perched in midair, and her upper half swallowed by the large container. It wasn't a pleasant task, as the residue of other rubbish produced a horrible smell. Thankfully, these items were towards the top and she didn't need to fully immerse herself in the contents. When she was certain she had everything she needed, she went back to her car, got inside and drove away.

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"Oh thank God she was sacked," firmly stated Charles as they got in position to breach Thomas' flat. He never did like the idea of her working at Bates Airlift.

"As much as I would like to agree, I think she was useful inside. She had access to more data and all of the people. This isn't going to help her get him out." She was gentle but firm. She often had to be with her crabby humored man.

"Is that such a bad thing?" He raised his left eyebrow sarcastically.

"Charles Carson. I cannot believe you just said that. If you know what is good for you, you'll recant right away." Elsie furrowed her brow and spoke with much energy. This was different from her answer of only a few seconds ago.

Oh God. She had the look. She was fuming. She would deny him his pleasures if he continued with this line of thought. "What did I say? I just asked a question!" He resorted to trickery to see if he could dissuade her from her anger.

"A rude and heartless question, that was. Would you say that to our girl's face?" Elsie raised her left eyebrow, mimicking his previous action.

She was sly. That's why he married her. He immediately tensed. Of course he wouldn't say that to Anna.

"I just don't like the man. What if he is guilty? My girl would be destined to a lifetime of jail visits. And what type of relationship do they have, where he cannot show her off, as beautiful and special as she is?"

"That's her choice, love. I don't appreciate that he is married, but come now….. After everything we've seen regarding his spouse, he's really not married, is he? Would you begrudge our girl for falling for a successful, charismatic and benevolent man? You've seen the good he does in the community. Would you rather she is with a half-wit who took advantage of her finances? ….. Or is it that you do not want her to be in love with anybody at all so that she can continue to be your little girl?"

His eyes drooped low. Elsie had hit the nail on the head. Charles had seen Anna's prior beaus. They were all nice fellows, mostly young men her age that she'd gone to school with or met through university friends. But he saw in Anna that she wasn't quite in love with them. They didn't pose a threat, not like they would have wanted. Most of the time, it was Anna who broke with them, leaving their hearts shattered. He was never worried. As long as Anna wasn't in love, she could date as many man as she wanted. But he saw the difference, naïve as he had been to not pick up on the clues from the beginning. Anna's pain since Mr. Bates incarceration was different. He'd never seen her so hurt and suffering. She loved this man. It wasn't that he wanted to keep her alone and for himself, he wanted somebody that truly deserved her. Somebody that would treat her as an equal and that would treasure her. So far, his girl was nothing more than this man's mistress and he was using her to get him out of prison. If he were ever to accept this man, he would have to truly demonstrate how much he loved her. Until then, he wouldn't accept him.

"Mmm? Charles? Which one is it?" Ever his guiding light, Elsie looked on in expectation.

"Alright, so I've been hard on him. But that's only between us. I'll be the gentlemen if I ever see him again. And for her sake, I hope he gets out of jail. I don't want to see Anna suffering."

"Good man." She patted him affectionately, letting him know she was no longer upset. "Now, do you think you can fix your hat? It's lopsided. You don't look like a lost American tourist."

Charles peeked into the mirror to arrange his floppy hat. Elsie chose his outfit well, making him out to be the stereotypical American traveler. He was wearing jeans, trainers, a sweatshirt with the logo New York and a light coat. He had a camera slung around his neck. She was similarly dressed, with a sweatshirt promoting Chicago. She had a big shoulder bag from Disneyland, which held all of their spying paraphernalia, and doubled as a travel bag. She wore her hair in a ponytail. They were Jim Bob and Sue Ann Jones of Dallas, Texas, if anybody cared to ask, and they were staying at the Best Western York Pavilion Hotel that was only about three blocks from Thomas' street.

"How y'all doing?" Charles practiced in an accent that was most definitely not American.

"Oh Lord. If you have to talk, we're toast." Added Elsie in an accent that could very well come off as being from the Midwest. She had a better handle on faking being American.

"How about this?" Charles tried again. "I'm hungry. I want some grub. I want a hamburger and fries." Elsie laughed in his face. Watching her husband practice his Americanisms was adorable. But he had done better. He didn't sound British, but she still wasn't sure he sounded Texan.

They were a block off and had seen Thomas leave a few minutes before. He'd left on foot, leaving his car behind, parked on the street. They stood guard for about half an hour to make sure he hadn't just left on a quick food mission. They needed to get inside his house to bug his phone, place a filter on his network and plant a small camera. Joe had tried hacking into his computer at home, given Anna's suspicion of his involvement, but he'd had no luck thus far. This made them suspect him even more.

The flat did not have a garden and it was easy access from the street. Thomas' property shared an entrance with the flat next door. The entryways were only one foot away from each other. Besides entering the property, they would have to be careful to not disturb the neighbors. Charles would shimmy the door open and his statuesque appearance would cover for Elsie who would enter the premises. She was very nimble and quick, faster than he ever was and could get the task accomplished faster. He would be the lookout. Lately, most of their ruses were set up that way.

They walked up to their target, hand in hand, ever the happy couple.

"Oh, are we lost?" he asked, and scratched his head. This was their excuse in case they encountered somebody.

"Maybe we are," she answered as she pulled out a map from her large travel bag. "Let's look at the map again," she added in her best American accent.

As she did, Charles bent down to pick the lock. He was excellent at this task and he had popped the door in less than a minute. She handed him the map. "Look honey, are we here?"

He opened up the map as wide as possible and she slipped inside. Elsie was amazed at how neat and organized the apartment was. It was very modern and sleek. All of his furniture and accessories were of high quality. Not the average sort of decorations for this neighborhood. It wasn't a bad neighborhood, but it was average. This looked like she could take a picture and it would not be discernible from the layout in a decorating magazine. It seemed more than a man with his type of salary could afford. She shrugged and set to work in finding his home phone.

Outside, Charles stood guard, perusing the tourist map of York, pretending to sort out where he was. They were making good time. Elsie had already been in there for ten minutes, enough for her to get most of the tasks done. He whistled to keep himself distracted and from the corner of his eye, he saw a woman approaching. He kept to himself, but could hear the tapping of high heels on the pavement. A leopard print coat came into his peripheral vision and beneath it, there was a sea of spandex in bright colors.

"Are you lost love?" The woman asked and he had no choice but to look up. He would never be impolite, regardless the situation.

When their eyes met, he almost had a heart attack. Yikes! It was that woman from the police station, from not so long ago. Oh God, he hoped she didn't recognize him. What did she call herself? SUGAR. It was SUGAR the prostitute. OR wait, what did they call themselves these days? Sex workers? Whatever her profession, she was standing in front of him, waiting for his answer.

"No, thank you. Just getting my bearings, is all." He tried not to sustain eye contact in case she should recognize him….which, after a second thought, might not even be possible. In her line of work, she met many men. What were the chances of her remembering him, when their paths had only crossed but for a few minutes?

"Do I know you?" she asked, as she tilted her head to get a better visual of him. She also, not so casually, cupped her breasts and pushed them forward for him to see.

Horrified by her actions and in his best possible Americanized accent, he denied her. "Oh, surely not darlin', unless you've been to Texas?"

Dammit, he thought. His accent must have been off. She looked like she didn't believe him. Her eyes were questioning him silently.

From the opposite direction that SUGAR had come from, he saw another woman approaching. A few seconds before, a car had driven past and parked several meters ahead. This woman had descended from that car.

"Well, if we've never met before, how would you like to get to know a real English woman?" She swayed her hips and shook her ample bosom. "I'll get your Big Ben going, if you know what I mean?" she took a step forward like last time, running her finger down his jacket. "You can go down on my Westminster Abbey, tourist boy."

He was repulsed. She had the same foul breath. The only thing that was different is that she had actually combed her hair. It wasn't half bad. Oh Elsie, where are you? he thought. Why aren't you ever here when I run into this woman? The last thing he wanted was a confrontation with this lady. He'd try to let her down gently. "I appreciate the offer, but my wife will fetch me any minute now." He was cordial and sweet.

SUGAR did not appear affected by the rejection. She stood her ground, still touching his chest. She rather liked his sweet American ways.

He had a firm visual on the woman that was approaching and his heart began to beat even faster than it had when he encountered SUGAR. This was Vera. What the hell was she doing here? And worst of all, was Thomas on his way back? He couldn't warn Elsie to leave, not when Vera could clearly see towards him. She'd have to find a way out on her own. He also needed to cover himself so that his features were not completely recognizable. He'd been in the café with her before.

Before SUGAR could realize what was happening, he put his arm around her back and brought her to him so that he could crush his lips to hers. Vera walked right by him and knocked on the door. She hardly reacted to the couple making out next to her, not that he could tell. She was probably laughing internally at the spectacle, though. He knew he would if he'd come upon somebody in a similar situation. He had a million thought in his head as they continued a very deep kiss. This woman was participating fully. Initially, she was surprised, but as the seconds moved forward, she aggressively contributed, exploring his mouth to the fullest. The most important thing on his mind as he fought off the repulsion, was that he thought he would die. His Elsie not more than a few yards away, and possibly in trouble, and he had a trollop in his arms.

Elsie had already rigged the telephone, and planted the network filter and was finishing installing the camera, when she heard the knock on the door. Could that be Charles? They had a different knock, as a code between them. That wasn't his signature knock. She stayed as quiet as she could.

"It's me Tommy," Vera added as she knocked again.

Elsie panicked. Should she jump out the kitchen's window into the back alley? She'd quickly walked around to get a lay of the land and knew that there was a potential exit there. She walked quietly backwards towards the kitchen.

"Oh my, that was not what I was expecting!" trilled the working woman as Charles stopped to catch a breath. He still had her in an embrace, but dared not look at her or he wouldn't be able to continue. She didn't feel natural in his arms. This wasn't right, but he had to finish with the ruse while Vera was standing there. He kissed her again, this time, moving a few steps away. SUGAR was enjoying this too much. She was biting his lip and almost suffocating him with her tongue that would not relent and she had managed to put her hand into his pants.

"Tommy, where are you?" With no answer, she whipped out her mobile phone and dialed a number. 'It's me. I'm at your place. Where are you?" She rolled her eyes without saying anything, a clear indication of her frustration. "White Bear Claw Pub it is. See you in a few minutes."

Oh, she couldn't leave soon enough. SUGAR had her hands on him. Even though he had tried to stop her from going further into his pants, she was strong. She'd slipped through his grip and was rubbing all over, attempting to stimulate him.

Vera turned away and walked towards where she had come. During this whole time, she ignored the kissing and caressing couple to left, as if it were the most normal thing. They were less than a foot away.

Elsie had undone the latches of the kitchen window and was getting ready to roll it up.

As soon as Vera was at least a half block away, he dropped SUGAR, which startled her and she released her hold on him. He pounded on the door with his signature knock. Elsie was already on top of the counter when she heard it. Oh, Thank goodness, she thought. She was just about to throw herself out which wouldn't have helped her middle aged joints.

Affronted by his sudden separation, SUGAR reacted. "What are you doing honey? I think we have a good thing going on here. I know a great little secluded spot at the park on the next block." She approached him and stopped suddenly. A change in her facial features indicated something was going on in her head. "Wait. I do know you. You're the handsome silver daddy from the police station." She slowly licked her lips as the realization sunk in.

Charles wanted this to end. He didn't affirm it or deny it. "I told you, I am waiting for my wife." He didn't break out of character, still pretending to be Jim Bob Jones.

SUGAR threw herself at him again, but his time, Charles managed to put his hand on his mouth to block his lips when she lunged at him.

Elsie first opened the door, only a crack, enough to gauge what dangers were lurking on the outside. She was greeted to the sight of her husband being accosted by a tastelessly dressed woman. Not that she could complain about the outfit. She wasn't the epitome of Britishness in her current threads. She still didn't know if she should walk out and join him. What if this was a friend of Thomas'? - The one who had knocked? But why would have Charles rapped the all safe code on the door if she wasn't allowed to exit?

"Why are you being so difficult silver daddy? You don't have a wife. A man with a wife does not kiss the way you just kissed me." She ran her hand through his hair. "SUGAR might even do you for free."

Oh Lord. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Elsie, where are you? He implored internally as he answered back. "I do have a wife. She will be here any minute now." He shifted backwards and saw the sliver of the door opened. His Elsie was listening to this! Oh God.

"Look at what you've done to me silver daddy." She pointed to her crotch area and that's when Charles saw it. The she was not a she, but a he. Whatever this person was, he had no idea what politically correct term applied. It had a penis. It had breasts. SUGAR was a man? Where was his penis hiding in that spandex before they kissed? It had been invisible before, but now there was a very visible boner that was taunting Charles. "None of my other johns can do this, but you make me hot with want for you. It's your silver hair and Adonis body. Don't be shy." She, he, it – took a step forward and Charles took a step back. "I'll even let you talk to me in that ridiculous American accent."

Elsie had had enough. The longer they were stood outside, the more possible it would be for them to get caught and for Charles to die of embarrassment. She knew her man too well. He was on the verge of having a heart attack. Before SUGAR knew what was happening, Elsie had come out, closed the door, hooked her arm around Charles and dragged him a couple of steps to separate him away from her.

"He does have a wife, and darling, I know how you feel. He has the same effect on me, but this silver daddy is spoken for." Elsie's hand on her hip, gave her words depth. In addition, her body language conveyed to SUGAR that she was not to be confronted.

The sudden change of situation made SUGAR confused. She looked over them both and realized that this was a bona fide spouse. She couldn't not be. They dressed alike and she had ferocity in her eyes that reflected how she would defend her claim on her man. SUGAR did not mess with spouses. They often won. She took a step back, forlornly.

"I'll be on my way." She turned and kept walking.

Charles stood there feeling daft. He had made out with a man, not a woman. No wonder he felt so much aggression during the kiss. Bless his Elsie for pulling him away when she did.

"Come now darlin' we've got to get back to our hotel." Elsie's near perfect Texan twang shook him from his numbness and they were off.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Waking up natural. Anna couldn't remember the last time she'd given in to the luxury. Now that she didn't have the need to hurry and be at work, she allowed herself a few minutes to burrow awake in her sheets. Mmmm. She felt restored. Yesterday's late night prowling, on top of the heightened emotions of the morning and her mid-day discovery had left her drained.

She sat up and piled the pillows behind her so that she could continue resting in an upwards position. She reached to one of the frames she had rescued the night before. A young cocky John stood in front a helicopter, some 20 years before, beside another equally young and handsome man. She imagined that was Callum. He had similar features to Vera.

A noise in the kitchen caught her attention. She hadn't seen Mary since two days ago and her friend did not know she had been sacked. Mary was very busy these days, alternating between working at the pub and volunteering at Highclere. She put on her robe and walked out of her room, intent on chatting with her friend. She could use some tea too.

She came face to face with a shirtless Matthew who was wearing Mary's pink silk robe and his boxers underneath.

"Matthew." Anna was surprised.

"Anna." Matthew was embarrassed and pulled his robe tight around him.

Mary came bounding out of her room and in the absence of her robe, wearing Matthew's shirt thrown on to accompany her knickers. She hadn't even buttoned it up completely. "Did you manage the machine, darling?"

She froze when she found her friend. "Anna. I thought you'd be at work already." Mary's surprise and embarrassment accompanied Matthew's.

"Yes, I can see, but…" She swiveled to face her lawyer. "I was sacked yesterday, by Vera. I tried contacting you all day, Matthew, and now I understand why I couldn't get through." A cheeky smile graced her lips.

"Um, Anna, can I see you for a moment?" Mary didn't wait for an answer and dragged Anna back into her own bedroom. They left Matthew in the living room, with his mouth open.

Once inside her bedroom, Anna crossed her arms. "So? What is going on?" Neither of the girls were prudes, but, they weren't in the habit of bringing home one night stands. Long-term boyfriends yes, flings no. Anna wondered what category Matthew fit into.

"He finally asked me out again, yesterday, after John's arraignment. He came back to the pub, with Dad, Mum and Sybil, and we got to talking. We went to a quick dinner, straight after he asked, and I invited him back here. You see, he's been a little shy, and he confessed that he thought I was not really into him. Bloody fool stopped calling me because of that! Well, one thing led to another." Mary was flailing, very excited.

Anna hugged her. "I am happy for you."

Mary asked timidly, "You don't mind do you?"

"I don't… but, let's all make sure we are all fully clothed in the future." She winked at Mary, to let her mischievous side shine through. "And now, since he is out there, I have business to discuss with him, if you don't mind."

Anna walked out in search of Matthew, only to find him gone. She set about finishing the task of making the tea that he had started and a few minutes later, he came back more dressed, except for his shirt which Mary still wore. He had an undershirt on, so he was not bare chested this time.

"I am so sorry Anna. I am not sure what to say or how to go from here. This was not very professional of me."

Anna poured them each a cup.

"Can we just get down to business, Matthew? You are still John's lawyer and mine too and we still have a lot to do."

Matthew just nodded his head in agreement, thankful that they weren't going to have any conversations about this. He graciously took the cup as he sat down at the small dining table. Anna joined him.

"I have the evidence that John didn't do it." Anna beamed as she said it, very proud of herself for her discovery.

Matthew's eyes lit up, and Mary, who had overheard them as she walked back into the room jumped for joy.

"How? What?" Matthew couldn't get the words out.

"Oh My God Anna. What is it?" Mary filled the void for him.

"I cross referenced the dates of the withdrawals. The last one, on the list you gave me, was made on a Saturday when John wasn't in York. The IP address is from his home, but he couldn't have done it, because he was away on a trip."

"How can you be sure?" Matthew's brow was raised, mimicking with his face the question he had just asked.

"I am sure. I was with him. I'm his alibi."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I have good news John." Matthew was pleased that after the steady stream of worsening missives, he finally had something to convey that could be considered positive. Momentous, even. He set down his briefcase on the table and sat.

What is it?" John replied with a hopeful gaze as he sat back against the wobbly prison chair. This was his first visit since his arrival at Whetherby and he hadn't had the opportunity to experience the inexistent comforts of the visitation room.

"Anna's found the evidence that you could not have been the one to do the deposits." Matthew was positively beaming with excitement.

"Did she?" John's face was frozen, as if he couldn't believe it. His Anna was brilliant. There was never any doubt that she wouldn't find the evidence.

"She says the date of the last transfer coincided when you and here were together on the recent trip you made." Matthew kept talking. "She is ready, willing and able to be your alibi. In fact, she's excited that she can do this for you." Matthew was so hyped from the good news that he did not notice John's crestfallen face. "I know it is not ideal, because it is evidence of adultery and that would impact your divorce proceedings, but John, imagine! This is perfect so that we can stop the charges of embezzlement and theft from landing you in jail."

With a stoic and firm voice, John responded. "I won't allow it." His legs shook, undetected by Matthew. He was building courage to be strong.

Matthew was confused. John ought to be excited and he wasn't. He looked even more forlorn than the last time they spoke. "Excuse me? What is it that you won't allow?"

"Anna testifying on my behalf."

Matthew's jaw locked from the stress of what he was hearing. "You can't be serious. Why?" His tone was elevated, but restrained as they had a public around them.

"She is good, and selfless for wanting to be my alibi, and I appreciate it wholeheartedly, but she doesn't know how brutal the press would be with her. They will crucify her, call her names, make her out to be a villain, and Vera would be the poor, offended and victimized wife. This would ruin Anna and I cannot take my liberty at the expense of her image." He was tempered in his delivery of his message, not losing his cool.

"She knows this will happen, John. I discussed all the possibilities and she says she will do it. She says that she can overcome her humiliation if it means that you don't spend a day longer in prison. Those are her words, not mine."

John was flabbergasted. He loved Anna. The absence of her while he was in prison had led him to that conclusion. He understood that her willingness to sacrifice herself must be because she loved him too. She was doing this for him. Yet, he couldn't let her do it. He loved her too much to see her dragged into his troubles.

He also had to think of Daphne and Bryant Landing. The press wouldn't relent until they had all the details of their tryst and he wouldn't want to be responsible for outing the shelter. Those women depended on the secrecy of Daphne's compound to get their lives together while they rebuilt their confidence. It would only take one sensationalist reporter who thought they had a story, to bring unwanted publicity. What if any of those women's oppressors found their way back to them? He made an oath to Daphne about secrecy and he would live by it, regardless of the impact to himself.

"I would expect nothing less from a woman of her caliber. She continues to amaze me." John reflected internally, as if he were speaking to himself and not addressing Matthew. "I do not deserve her support or love. I am not worthy, and my rejection of her offer makes me feel like a louse. I cannot allow her to be my knight in shining armor. I would rather spend a decade in prison than see her spirit reduced to crumbs because of her involvement with me. The answer is no, Matthew. I beg you to separate her from all of this."

Matthew sighed loudly and closed his eyes. John guessed he was counting to ten before he spoke again so that he could be as composed as possible.

"You realize we may never discover how Vera did this and that this is may have been your only opportunity? They will utilize your sexual harassment charges and Vera's lawyers will also dredge up the topic of your Mostar helicopter crash to weaken your character. You don't have any positive things in your favor right now." Matthew was kind with his tone. John had been very firm when he spoke and Matthew did not want to scold him.

"I realize it and I accept my fate. If Vera cannot be unmasked, then I shall stay in prison."

Matthew's face contorted, but he breathed in. He must have convinced himself mentally, because by the time he spoke, he was composed and it seemed that they'd never had this conversation.

"Alright. Then we shall get down to business." He opened his briefcase. "Let's see. Bullock and Sampson have sent requests to depose most of your office staff. There is a Dawson, Barrow, Baxter, O'Brien, Strallan and Gregson called for the day after tomorrow."

John nodded his head in disappointment. He was still annoyed that anybody should be bothered during the process.

"Do any of those people hold grudges against you?" Matthew asked without looking up.

"Pfft. Of course…. And does it really matter? Anything nice any of them have to say towards me will likely be twisted until it is negative. For all practical purposes, they are all bad witnesses."

Matthew looked up from the rim of his reading glasses. He was not amused. "Come now John, let's not be negative. Who is dangerous on that list?"

John relented. "O'Brien and Barrow only. Sarah hates me, and Thomas, while I've never had a problem with him or his work, is a staunch supporter of Vera's."

"I'll depose all of them too, and I will add Anna to our list to make Vera tremble." When John couldn't understand the relevance of the sentence, Matthew had to remind himself that John was unaware that Anna no longer worked in the firm. "She was sacked yesterday, John. She was accused of flirting with Evelyn Napier."

The blood in his veins congealed at the news. His only reaction was to exclaim, "Oh, that bitch."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Come Sugar. I need your assistance to carry this." Elsie couldn't help it. A day after it had happened, she was still trying to poke fun at the situation.

Charles cringed at the mere mention of that name, but stood up as requested to help her carry a heavy tray. "Elsie, please. How long are you going to milk this?"

Elsie had not reprimanded him for the kiss, fully having understood the situation, and neither did she explicitly tease him regarding the sexuality of his friend. But he could tell she was having too much fun with his misery.

"As long as it is no longer fun for me." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek as she made her way to the table. "….and, it's only been one day. I'll drop it eventually."

"Why the miserable face?" Anna could tell Pops was none too pleased at the moment. She was returning from a quick trip to the loo before starting an evidence sharing session with her Godparents.

"Nothing," he responded actively before Elsie could say anything. He preferred the situation he'd encountered remain only between him and his wife. "Nothing at all."

Elsie stifled a laugh and then shifted her gaze in the opposite direction, avoiding Anna's question.

Anna was not convinced that there was nothing going on, but, neither of her Godparents seemed willing to share. They also had too much to discuss, so she let it go. She sat down and pulled several documents forward.

"Joe's been very busy and now it's our turn to make sense of what he's found."

"So, what's first?" Elsie exclaimed as she took the first document from the pile.

"The DNA results. Joe pulled in some favors with a friend at the laboratory and they came this morning. The child is most certainly not Anthony Strallan's."

"What did they compare against?" asked an interest Charles.

"When he wasn't looking, I snatched his coffee cup. I was extra helpful to him one day."

Elsie developed a proud smile. Her little girl was clever. "How very smart of you, love."

"If you knew Anthony, you'd understand that this was not hard at all." Anthony was smart, but easy to distract.

"So, what's next? What do you intend to do about it, now that your Mr. Bates can't be the go between?" Her Godfather's left eyebrow was raised in expectation of an answer.

"I have been thinking about that. This is a side investigation, not something that pertains to our central case, so I am not sure it is a priority. With John also being in jail, I don't know how relevant this still is to him. Now that I no longer work there, I may just come out to Anthony. I am not sure. I am still thinking about it."

"Mmmm. Are you sure sweetheart?" Ever concerned, Charles demeanor reflected worry.

"He's harmless, and I've not decided yet. I'll sleep on it, but don't worry."

"Alright, so what else?" An impatient Elsie offered, hoping to move the topics along.

"The deposits. Joe has found something."

"Don't tell me he's found where they belong too?" Charles was surprised given the wild goose chase a search of this nature represented.

"I am amazed myself. So, on a hunch, after his searches for accounts under Vera's name came up empty, I asked him to search under her maiden name. Mr. Bates marriage records indicate she was Vera Kelly. When he searched under that name, he found two accounts. The first account was something from her youth, something insignificant like a library affiliation. The other - not so insignificant. It turns out, that she has an account at Eagle Investments. When I copied her files, weeks ago, I came across some information from that company and I couldn't make sense of it and Joe couldn't find an account at the time. The files have been sitting on my dining room table and we've only now discovered that her account was under a different name."

"Oh my. How scheming of her." Elsie added with a roll of the eyes.

"Absolutely. For her to have this account in her maiden name and the account is fairly recent, from five years ago, means that she has been planning something. I don't understand yet exactly how this investment firm works, but I am looking into that. The important thing is that the cashier's checks that she has been requesting, those that confused us originally because they matched somewhat what Anthony was also doing, those quantities match the quantities that the account has in deposits. The date they received the money, matches almost entirely to the date she requested the checks. This has to mean something. In this day and age, when electronic transfers are possible, and banking convenience has been developed, doing something the old-fashioned way, means that she is trying to deflect her actions. She didn't want this to be tracked."

"I am sure you are right." Charles gruff voice approved her thoughts. "She's hiding something and we'll have to understand what Eagle Investments is all about to decipher it."

"Yes, I am on to it. That is what I will be concentrating on next."

"Hopefully it will lead to something. I still can't figure out how that ties in with the fraud, though. If it is her money, distributed fairly to her as her monthly gains, why would she need to do all this?" Elsie was being practical in her thinking.

"I don't know if it has anything to do with the fraud, but, this is clearly a deceptive practice and I will find out."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A visitor? What a welcome interruption to this uneventful day. So far, he had counted the cracks in the plaster of the ceiling as he lay on his bunk bed. There were 17. Whoever had performed the maintenance on this room had done a shoddy job. He welcomed a distraction so that he wasn't thinking about the poor upkeep of the facilities. Anything was better than that. His mind was back to the visit. He wasn't expecting Matthew again so soon. He hoped it was Robert and not somebody undesirable such as Richard. An unwelcome visitor could send his mood in the opposite direction.

It was a short walk from his room into the visitation area. As he turned the corner, he was able to scan into the enclosure. He saw the blonde head sitting alone and his heart began to beat out of his chest. It was the only table unoccupied by another prisoner and his heart knew it was Anna. He could recognize that beautiful hair anywhere. She had come. His beautiful angel. She was here, nervous and by herself. Her hand was fidgeting on the table. This was no place for a beautiful girl like her.

She had her back to him as he walked upon the small table. There were other prisoners with their guests. This was less private than when he was in the holding facility at York, but at least he felt more confident that their conversation would not be listened to. There was too much chatter around them.

"Anna. You came." He sounded flat, an overt opposite to what he was actually feeling.

She stood up at the sound of his voice and swiveled around until she was in front of him. She had been told by the guard at the entrance, that she couldn't touch him and that she would be observed at all times. She wanted to reach out to him, but caught herself. He was right about her nervousness. He could tell, through her eyes, that her confidence was absent.

"I did, and I don't have Matthew's permission. Does that make you mad?" There was a restraint in her demeanor. She didn't know if he would lash out at her.

"I could never be mad at you," he answered as he walked around the table. They sat down. "Matthew doesn't think it is a good idea, but I don't know what is good or bad anymore, so, I'll just enjoy it." He could guess why she was here. It was either the alibi thing or the Richard thing. She would want him to change his mind. He couldn't with either of them.

She smiled at his answer. She had so many things to say. How should she start?

"Vera fired me." Getting that out of the way ought to be the first issue discussed.

"I heard." He stared at her for a few seconds. "On behalf of Bates Airlift, I would like to apologize for the way you have been treated." The delivery of the line was sarcastic and funny, John's attempt to lighten-up their conversation. It worked. Anna chuckled.

"I really am sorry," he added. "I know you didn't sign up for her abuse when you came aboard." He laid his palms on the table, close to hers. The magnetic pull between them was as strong as ever.

"No, I didn't when you hired me as your investigator," Anna looked down bashfully, surveying the distance between their fingers. "….but I did the first time we slept together." She looked up once more to correct him emphatically. "The relationship I entered into with you was with the full knowledge of her existence. I promise you, I can handle her." Her hands also moved forward until they were only an inch apart. How easy it would be for them to touch. She could feel the tension between them. The sensation of having him so close was making it hard for her to breathe.

Bless her. She was so strong, and a fighter. Her touch was what he needed. If only they could indulge. It would make all of the bad feelings go away. He also wanted to kiss her and tell her that he loved her, but this was not the place to do it. A prison visitation room was not romantic or memorable. Thoughts of being elsewhere filled his head. He sighed. If he were ever given the opportunity to leave this place, telling her would be the first thing he would do.

Anna controlled her breathing and tilted her head, concentrating on her mission. She couldn't let his distracting fingers veer her off the subject that she was determined to discuss. "Mr. Bates, there is a purpose for my visit. You know why I am here." She had a pleading look in her eyes.

He ventured to guess, given her visible duress, that it had to do with his alibi. "I do, and I thank you for being willing to sacrifice your good name to defend me, but I can't do it." His words were firm, but soft.

Whether it was allowed or not, she took the risk and placed her hand on top of his. "Please don't be stubborn, John. I am aware of the consequences. I can handle it." Her words continued to plead to him.

Her touch sent a chill down his body. As the electricity generated between them traversed through his entire being, flooding his senses, he allowed his hand to come up and envelope hers, holding it firmly. Like a thirsty man in the desert, the sensation of their skin together quenched his thirst. It filled him with hope and momentarily displaced his despair. He felt her shudder, evidently as affected as he was with this connection between them. It almost made him lose touch with the reality that surrounded them. Her eyes grounded him back to reality. She had used his Christian name – aware that it was something he wanted her to use. Her perseverance made him love her more. Yet, he couldn't do it. Allowing her to take on such a hardship for him, one with very clear detrimental results, would eat him up inside. He could never sit by and see her name besmirched. This was not the right path for her.

"They would ruin you Anna." Reasoning with her would be difficult.

"My only ruin is to be without you." She answered so quickly and with so much passion, she didn't realize the implications of what she was saying until she had said the words out loud. They'd not even exchanged I love you's. She looked down at their joined hands, hoping she hadn't scared him. He'd been unsure about their relationship before. Would he shy away?

He felt his breath catch in his throat. God Anna, don't make this hard. _It is my ruin to be without you too_ is what he thought, but he couldn't tell her.

"…And my ruin would be to see you made a scapegoat, or a villain. You are nothing less than a lady to me, and the public knowledge that we have been together would make others see you as less than that. I could not now, or ever, allow you to be vilified. I could not now, or ever, give Vera the opportunity to target you. She will want to destroy everything that I hold dear… You Anna, will be made to pay for my sins and I could never live knowing that your selflessness and good will and your involvement with me is what brought about your destruction."

"Hands," boomed the speakers above them. The guards had finally caught on that they were touching. They pulled apart reluctantly. He felt lost afterwards, her touch having been an anchor that grounded him. He felt even more lost when he realized she had tears in her eyes. He made her cry and he felt like the least deserving man on the planet. What was it with him that he made all the women in his life miserable? He couldn't even reach out to comfort her. He felt like such a failure.

"John, I love you. I wouldn't forgive myself if I couldn't get you out." She held her breath at the revelation. They'd hardly dated. How long had they known each other? She closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop beating as fast as it was. He'd think her a fool; a childish girl with an infatuation. She didn't care.

She loved him? Oh God, how could he be so lucky and so wretched at the same time? Why would God send him love when he was at his worst and couldn't be the man she deserved? A dozen self-deprecating thoughts filtered through his head, but they didn't matter. She loved him. If a beautiful angel like her could love a mistake ridden, middle-aged, ruin of a man, then life was worth living. She made it worth fighting for. But the price was still too high. Her livelihood in exchange for his was not a fair trade.

She looked at him with expectation. He sat staring at her and a small smile erupted on his thin gray lips.

Only a moment ago, he thought he wouldn't get to tell her or that he would do it in a more romantic setting if he was given the chance. Circumstance dictated that it should be in this place. He leaned in, so that nobody could overhear.

"If we were alone, I would take you in my arms, pull you as close as possible to me, and kiss you until you could breathe no longer. Then, I would whisper in your ear that I too, Anna Smith, love you…."

His eyes crinkled around the edges, obviously a sign of his happiness. They reflected adoration and love. He repeated it again. "I love you, Anna Smith."

Anna wiped away the tears that had collected in her eyes with the rims of her sleeves. Her mascara was probably running, given that black coloring was collected by her jumper's wooly yarn. She must look hideous, but this revelation filled her with a joy she'd never experienced before. He loved her. They were in the most miserable place, they couldn't touch each other, yet, this was the happiest she had ever been in her life.

She too smiled back at him, reflecting how wonderful she felt. "You fool." That is all she could think to say in the moment. "What are we to do now if you won't let me say the truth? We love each other and that is it?"

Her admonishment of him earned her a big smile. He too shed a few happy tears, yet he felt his heart would burst. He was beaming. In the midst of his misery, her presence was a ray of sunshine.

As positively as before, he answered. "My darling, we go on as before. That brilliant mind of yours will find a way to find out who is actually doing this. I have faith in you. If it takes a week, or a year, or ten years, I will be fine. Knowing that you love me, I could bear to be in here as long as I need to be."

Oh God, He was really good at saying such things.

"It won't take ten years. I'm giving it all I've got, but, however long it does, I will be here every step of the way. I will be with you and I will be waiting for you to get out of here. I will wait for you, John Bates. Do you hear me? I will wait."

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What a day. He loved her and she loved him. The most magnificent words she had ever heard had been exchanged in a tacky prison visitation room. If they were ever able to go on with their lives, that would be a story to tell their children.

Children. Sigh… she was getting ahead of herself. No matter the dodgy location, she still felt as if she were in a dream, surrounded by fluffy white clouds that she could prance around in. She didn't know how she got back to her flat after such a conversation or how they continued to chat about the other things affecting the case. They had continued to talk, and miraculously, even with her excitement, she remembered what they spoke.

Once their emotions had settled, he had gone on to stress that besides her welfare, he could not be responsible for outing the shelter, exposing the lives of the residents to more upheaval, or potentially compromising the anonymity of Daphne's royal backer. A scandal? He didn't want that hanging over his head. He didn't budge when Anna recounted that his trips to Galloway coincided with the fraudulent deposits. He was surprised at her resourcefulness when she explained that she had gone as far as contacting Daphne to certify every single one of his flight dates against the deposit record and they matched. They concluded that Vera must know of his trips, somehow, and that Vera was crafty in in also knowing or guessing, that he wouldn't be compelled to use this as an alibi.

They also discussed that John had logged all of these trips for his helicopter on the flight logbooks with a different location than Dumfries. Each trip must be registered on the flight logs, as this was a requirement of the Civil Aviation Authorities, but he had misrepresented every single trip, changing the destination every time. This was also punishable by law. Vera didn't know where he was going, but she knew he wasn't being truthful about it. The penalty for lying was only a hefty fine, but people would want to think that he ran his business the same way and nothing could be farther from the truth. His business was managed with the strictest adherence to the law. This was the only area where he took a personal risk. He wasn't keen on having this discovered and Anna agreed to not pursue it any further. She'd have to find the truth or evidence elsewhere.

They briefly discussed the partnership, as it couldn't be avoided. Mr. Bates was terribly upset that this had to happen and he apologized profusely. She made sure to appease his nerves by saying she understood.

More enthusiastic than ever, Anna got back to work. Besides investigating Eagle Investments, she had to put together the files on the women of Bates Airlift. She had never focused on them before. When she had met with her Godparents to discuss the case, they all realized that in their zeal to discover who the lover was, they had targeted all of the men and the women had escaped attention. Since the investigation had shifted to fraud, this could be anybody, and it was worth the effort to do the background checks. Joe was already working on some of the information.

On a whim, she took out her mobile phone. She hadn't heard from ** incognitohelper** in several days. She thought about the help that had been offered. The tweeter seemed to know things. She tapped the phone nervously on the table as these thoughts ran through her mind. The tweeter always messaged her. She'd never been the one to tweet first. Maybe she should. I't couldn't hurt.

** incongnitohelper I was sacked. Still investigating TB and others**.

She set the phone down to keep herself busy. Although she was itching to look at the screen and be aware instantly if a message came in, she forced herself to pay attention to the computer screen as she looked at Eagle Investments. Their main company's webpage purported that they were financial advisors and had several investment funds set up. There was a phone number and offices in York. She would make an appointment to pretend to be interested in advice. That would probably be the easiest way to find out what it was all about.

She heard a buzz and drew her eyes to the phone. It had worked. ** incognitohelper** had tweeted back. Nervous excitement coursed through her veins. This better be worth it, she thought to herself. She never thought she'd have to resort to a virtual entity for help.

** eyeinthesky I know. We'll have to work harder now. Half of the network is figured out. I will send it to your friend.**

The tweeter knew she was sacked? Not a lot of people were aware. It must be somebody from inside Bates Airlift, but who? She shrugged. She should know by now. For as much as the thought herself a good detective, it bothered her that she had not figured it out yet. Nobody in the office had any apparent social media skills. None of them had twitter accounts that they would admit to. Based on Joe's feedback of the difficult to hack IP address, the person would have to have above average computer skills. Nobody seemed to fit that description. The Bates Airlift employees were all rather useless in technology. The office fell to pieces whenever a copier was out of toner. Replacing the cartridges was a cataclysmic event. None of the team had any clue on how to fix the latency issues that plagued the data network or how to troubleshoot basic service interruptions. Whenever they attempted to access their email, the login-in screen would freeze. They'd often have to call their outsourced tech-help line to get anything fixed. The tweeter spoke about the network. If they meant a literal data network, she would never believe that it came from the inside. So who could it be and what did they mean by their comment? What did they mean that it would be sent to her friend? What friend?

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"Robert, may I have a word?" Anna had thought long and hard about doing this. She was taking a huge risk. If it paid off, John would be saved, and she might get positive financial returns in a few years. If it didn't her father would turn in his grave, lamenting her squandering of his money.

"Sure, take a seat." He gestured towards the bar as both Mary and Edith waved at her. She waved back at both of them.

"Actually, can it be in private?" Her demeanor did not give up what the topic of conversation could be about.

Robert looked around. His daughters seemed to have everything under control.

"Sure. Let's go upstairs."

As soon as they were seated, Anna dove right into the conversation.

"I understand you have $25,000 pounds and that you are looking for funding to purchase John's partnership offering."

Robert understood that Anna would be worried about John and he launched into an explanation of how difficult it had been thus far to secure funding from anybody else.

"Well, yes. If I had all the money, I would have already helped him out, but I don't. I have asked a few close friends, but nobody has the courage to take this on when the stakes are so high. A return on investment is not guaranteed."

"I know. That is why I am here. I am ready to be your partner in this endeavor." She looked resolute when she spoke those words.

Robert's face was a mix of doubt and shock. "You, Anna?"

She nodded silently, in affirmation.

"But he needs at least $75,000 more pounds. Do you have that kind of money?" Robert's doubt was laced within his words.

"I have $90,000 pounds left of my father's inheritance, plus some land. I've bought a flat, paid the balance on my Godparent's flat, outfitted Carson's Investigators so they can have professional tools, and paid for my education expenses. I cannot think of a better way to spend the cash, than saving the dream of the man I love."

Robert was visibly choked up. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had no idea Anna had funds. Aware that the flat his daughter lived in was paid for, he always assumed that it had been an inheritance itself. If he had known she had that type of money, he would have come to her first.

Anna continued talking. "Between the both of us, that's $115,000. It's not the optimal amount he needs, but it is more than enough to save the company from demise."

"Yes, that's bloody fabulous." Robert had to stop and think. How marvelously lucky his friend was, finally finding a worthwhile companion with a heart of gold.

"There's just one thing. He can't know it was me. You can't ever tell him. Pretend you sourced it somewhere else. I will be your silent partner and I will choose when and if to let him know."

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**A/N: Kudos to Shenty1 for being the first to guess that Anna would have enough money to save John. Tymarie20 also suggested it. And the reappearance of Sugar the prostitute was by request of a lovely Guest reviewer. It took me a while to figure out how to get her back in, but that was for you.**

**I've been very bad at answering reviews and PM's, but I appreciate hearing back from all of you. Work has been really intense and I have been traveling a lot, and there are days where I feel I can't continue, but then I get one of your lovely messages and it motivates me to finish.**

**There will be lots of answers starting in chapter 20. I promise! I am still posting updates in my profile if anybody wants to keep track.**


	20. Partnership Request Denied

**Words – 13.4K. Thank you for reading!**

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Parting with her money ought to make her more nervous, but she was surprisingly calm. It had only been two days since her proposal to Robert and they were meeting Matthew formally now to put together the paperwork.

"You realize how unusual this is?" The young lawyer asked as the three sat in his office.

"Giving away our money?" suggested Robert cheekily, not understanding what Matthew was talking about.

"No, that I am representing all interested parties in this transaction. All three of you are my equal clients and it can be viewed as a conflict of interest. Each one of you is supposed to have different representation, championing your particular wishes. I wouldn't want any of you to feel that I was being unfair or favoring one over the other."

Robert and Anna turned to each other for reassurance before she responded. There was no doubt of Matthew's steadfastness in their eyes.

"We won't think that Matthew. We don't have the luxury of time to spend on the particulars of each other's whims. All we want is the fairest contract for all three, given the circumstances. We trust you."

Matthew's cool blue eyes reflected relief on hearing her words. But the unusual aspect of this transaction was not solely based on his all-encompassing client representation.

"It is also unusual because I haven't seen John in a couple of days and he doesn't know. I just prepared these documents with Anthony for the partnership with Richard. This was before I was aware of the Smith-Crawley proposal. I am preparing these documents in good faith because I know John would favor you two over Richard, but the other set is currently in the hands of Richard's lawyer. We were ready to present the contract to John for signature tomorrow. All clauses and stipulations have been agreed on."

Robert was the one to comment this time. "We understand Matthew. If this contract is to mimic what John agreed to with Richard, then we can abide by the same principles. The only difference would be anonymity for Anna."

Anna smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, so, we are drawing up Smith-Crawley partnership papers. You, Robert, are providing 22% of the funds and Anna is providing 78%."

They both nodded.

"You are buying 15% of John's stake, not 15% of the company. 15% of John's 50% allotment is a stake of 7.5% in the company. Based on your mutual contribution, that means you Anna, as the majority owner of the Smith-Crawley partnership are buying 5.9% and you Robert, 1.7%. That leaves Vera owning 50% and John owning 42.5%. The company is currently valued at 10 million pounds, which means that you Anna, by contributing $90,000 pounds, are buying a valued share of $585,000 pounds. You, Robert, by contributing $25,000 pounds, are buying a valued share of $165,000 pounds. Both of you have the potential to exceed your return on investment by more than 600%. This was smart business sense, besides being generous for your friend."

Robert reflected on what Matthew had just explained. "When you put it that way, it does sound fantastic. I'm sure John, if he wasn't in this bind, wouldn't have sold his stake for so little. He's a good businessman, foiled by circumstance."

"And you are sure that my name will not be anywhere on the partnership proposal?" enquired a worried Anna. She didn't want John to know she was doing this. Just like he had done with her alibi offer, he might reject her, worried about her future.

"Correct. You and Robert are incorporating as Crawley Investors. That is one contract. You are the majority owner, but you are giving Robert legal rights to represent you. Crawley Investors will seek to partner with John Bates and he will be the sole representative of your partnership. I won't say a word."

Anna looked relieved and smiled guardedly.

"What about the only clause we'd like to add to the existing contract?" asked Robert.

"That you be allowed the right to employ somebody in the company that represents your interests?" Matthew tapped his fingers on the desk. "If John agrees to have somebody at Bates Airlift, they would be your employee, not his, and they would be paid from any gains you make. You and John would have to determine how they fit in with the rest. With this partnership, John has eroded his majority in the company. Another employee, voicing their opinions, could be counterproductive for management. As long as your employee confers only with him, I think this could work. As long as you continue to give John the right to represent you, so that your partnership with him is on equal term to Vera's, he should be alright."

"That's fair. If John would agree, then, Crawley Investors would hire Anna Smith as an employee to be located within the Bates Airlift compound."

Robert and Anna shared a conspiratorial smile. Anna would be going back.

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John hadn't even signed the legal document yet, but she was giddy. It was a wise investment, just as Matthew had suggested, and Bates Airlift would be saved. Giving him the peace of mind his life was missing was also extremely satisfying. She would do anything for him. All around, she felt good about it. Except that she hadn't told her godparents yet. She didn't want to keep it a secret, but telling them would have generated much noise and interference. Pops would most certainly be against it and Elsie would give her a muted look, representing her repressed rejection, all the while trying to appear supportive. She appreciated their concern and often took their advice. Living life without their guidance and support would have been hell. Still, she felt strongly about this. She would tell them once it was done.

She and Robert had done their due diligence, and the money had been secured.

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"Good Night, Vera," the redhead offered as she walked speedily past her front door. With that nuisance blonde git gone, it had been necessary to move Gwen back to the position of administrative assistant. Pouting endlessly, she'd returned. She tried to discuss some nonsense about Sales training, but thankfully, one glaring look was all it took for her to desist. She got the message loud and clear. Richard did not want any interference with his work and it was best to oblige him. Where her husband got the idea that Gwen could be in Sales was a mystery. That poor girl didn't have the chops. She was born to be a secretary and it would do her no good to get above herself. A few days in her old position and she would be used to it again.

"Good Night, Gwen," she muttered back. Perhaps because Thomas was with her, she'd answered to be polite. It wasn't her custom to respond at all. Most of the time, she could care less.

"Blimey, you're going soft." Thomas offered.

"Well, maybe…. Or maybe not. I did just kill all her dreams a few days ago. She works well and does most of my tasks. I don't want her to leave the company. I don't want more problems. Once in a while, I have to be kind."

They both chuckled, enjoying her harshness.

"You may have killed her dreams, but what about yours?" he asked, sarcastically.

"Oh, my dreams are very close to coming true. John is in jail and facing many years of incarceration, the company is about to fail, and I am doing well financially."

"So, should I even continue working? If everything is about to go down, why am I even bothering?" His tone was inquisitive and demanding.

"You are bothering because you need to look like you've had no part in this. If you slack, they may catch you. Continue as you've always have done until the very end."

"Hello Vera," came a gravelly voice from the door. Her attention gravitated toward it and Thomas turned around to see Richard Carlisle leaning against the frame.

"Hello Richard," she answered seductively and Thomas understood it was his time to go. He already had his coat and belongings, having stopped only to chat on his way out.

"I'll leave you two," muttered Vera's friend. He kissed her on the cheek and pushed his chair back. "Good night," he offered as he slipped out the door and out of Bates Airlift.

Richard took a step in and closed the door to the office.

"Everybody's gone. We're alone at last." He took a step forward as Vera stood up from her chair. She turned the corner of the desk to meet him a few steps away.

"Is that so?" They stared at each other intensely.

"Yes," he answered, and the one word became a catalyst in an explosive reunion. Vera lunged for him, as he did for her, and they met, passionately, crushing their bodies together. He held on to her, tightly, while her hands found and undid his tie. His own hands were running over her body, with one reached under her skirt, pulling it up to her hips. Her hands, deftly and almost violently, pulled at his shirt, opening it up so that she could feel his bare chest. During this time, they continued to kiss, effusively, fully exploring each other's mouths.

Richard took a step forward, forcing Vera to take steps back and once her bottom touched the desk, Richard's arm came down to swipe across the surface, pushing everything to the floor. With her desk clear of most of the belongings, she laid back, surrendering to his touch.

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"What are you doing Silver Daddy?" Elsie sidled up to her husband, running her hand along his back. Normally, this would cause him shivers, her touch electric to him. Her continued use of monikers pertaining to the unfortunate prostitute incident, though, were making it hard for him to enjoy his wife's caresses with that same effect - especially now that he was going through Thomas' web browsing history. Gay Porn. There was lots of it… and Charles had to filter through all of that trash to see if he could find anything else worth discovering for their case. It brought back too many distasteful memories from the incident.

"I am perusing Thomas Barrow's web browsing history. He's into something called bareback."

She reached over his shoulder to gaze at the screen.

"Oh my," Elsie exclaimed as her eyes came across an image of a gay couple. She tilted her head in obvious confusion. "How flexible they are. I can't tell who is who." There were limbs everywhere and she made an attempt to determine where the top and bottom of this image was.

She couldn't see Charles reaction to her comments, but he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"That's because there is three of them." He reached to close the image and opened the next URL on the list. If Elsie reacted, he couldn't tell.

Elsie did have to adjust her eyes after what she saw. She thought that there was nothing else that could surprise her, what with the job she had and the amount of indecent images she had been forced to look at through the years, but Charles' revelation did make the color on her cheeks rise. She was getting to old for this, she mused. And Charles had closed the picture, so she would never be able to make sense of what she saw and determine what limbs belonged to what person. She shrugged it off and addressed her husband.

"Look at what I found," she stated and she held up the laptop she was working on. She'd been reviewing the last days' worth of surveillance from Thomas' living room video feed. "Isn't this bonny lad the one from the office?"

Charles scratched his head. "The pilot who Anna swears is in the closet?" Judging by the frame that Elsie had chosen on which to freeze the screen, there was not much doubt as to where his sexual orientation lay. Thomas' hand was on his cheek and they were locked in an embrace.

"Yes, the short one. I think his name is James." Elsie pressed play another few seconds and the young men kissed. This was leading to only one path.

"Not that it's relevant to the case, but Anna will find it amusing." Charles grimaced. He wasn't necessarily against homosexuals, but his own experience, and the hordes of gay porn he'd seen all morning had him in shock. He wanted to see no more.

Elsie noticed his repudiation. "Silver daddy, what is it?" she used the moniker on purpose. She rather liked it for her own use.

Charles huffed. "Enough with that name." Furrowing his brows, he turned away from her.

"Oh no, darling. We are going to give that name a new purpose." She set the laptop on the table beside him and eased herself onto his lap. With her finger, she turned his jaw until he was facing her. There was shame and melancholy in his eyes.

"You are my silver daddy, no matter who muttered it first." She reached forward to peck his forehead with her lips and she ran her hands through his hair. As her fingers combed through the silver gray strands, she couldn't help but admire how handsome he was, even more so than when they first met. She loved the name, even if it was given to him by a transvestite prostitute. "We need to make you forget everything, don't we, love?" She continued to pepper little kisses all over his face.

Charles leaned forward until his forehead and his darling wife's were touching. Her loving touches were having a positive effect. "You know how much I love you, don't you, Elsie?" She was making her best effort and he needed to acknowledge it.

"I do. And I love you, Charles Carson." She stood up and reached out for his hand. "Now take me to our bedroom. I think we have some forgetting to do."

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"You seem bored. What are you looking at?" Mary strolled in to the living area to find Anna in comfortable clothing, with her legs propped up on the table. On her legs rested her laptop and she was watching a video.

"I am bored." She certified without hesitation. "I am fast forwarding through Vera's recorded footage of yesterday to verify if there is anything odd. I am half way through her work day."

Mary rumpled her nose in apparent disgust. "Oh golly, that is boring. I won't disturb you." She made to leave.

"No, please don't go. Tell me something, anything, to make the remaining four hours of video, or less, given how much Vera chooses not to work, become more manageable." She patted the seat next to her, enticing Mary to join her.

"Like what? What haven't we talked about?" she asked as she took her place next to Anna. She too was still in her bedclothes, even when it was past eight in the morning.

"You've not given me the details about Matthew and don't think you'll get off easy. How was it?" Anna continued to press fast forward slowly, stopping only when Vera was on the phone or when she had a visitor in the office. Although she was not looking at Mary directly, she was keen to listen.

Her friend was less shy than Anna about sharing and dove right in with the details. "Oh, he is amazing, Anna. I've already seen him another two times, and we've been together again, and he is so considerate. He may be the best I've experienced, even with my limited knowledge."

"I'm pleased for you." Anna liked to see Mary happy and with a good man. She hoped this lasted.

"He does this technique where he….."

Anna cut her off and turned towards her. "Oh, that's too much detail. Remember, he's still my lawyer and I will likely be seeing him today." Anna chuckled and then returned her gaze to the screen.

Mary laughed. "That's fair. I won't go into detail in just the same way as I wouldn't want you to go into detail about John. He may not be my lawyer, but he is still Papa's friend."

Mary noticed how Anna's pleasant face evolved into shock. More than shock, even. It seemed she wasn't even breathing.

"What is it darling?" she asked as she peered at the screen. Mary gasped at what she saw. No wonder Anna went pale and almost catatonic. There were two people, engaging in sexual acts, on top of a desk.

"Oh my God," mumbled Anna. "It's Richard. He's the lover."

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This was too good to be true. She had set up the camera not less than a week ago and had already screened at least 40 hours of recording. She was thinking she would have to go back that night to replace the batteries, as the hours of recording had already depleted most of their capacity. It wouldn't be necessary anymore. Not now, when she had the evidence. How many times did they ever have sex in the office? She shuddered to think about it.

She decided to call Matthew immediately. The phone had only rung once when they were connected.

"Hello," came his quick and flustered answer.

"Matthew, its Anna. I have some news. I…"

Before she could even continue, he cut her off. "I have some news too. There was a misunderstanding with Anthony. He doesn't know about your partnership offering. I understand that he is on his way to the prison to gather John's signature. He already has Richard's. If John signs, that's it… Richard would be a partner, not you and Robert."

A gasp came out from her and she didn't know what to say. Richard signed as partner? She couldn't allow that. "Matthew, you must stop him. Anthony must not get the signature."

"I know Anna….. He left me a message early this morning that he was heading to the prison today. Gwen confirms that he isn't in the office and he won't pick up the phone. I have to be present at the depositions for the Bates Airlift staff. They are currently interviewing Michael and Thomas is next. I was going on my own in the afternoon to have him sign your proposal."

Anna was already running towards the door. She was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, not having fully groomed herself yet. She wasn't even wearing a bra, but she didn't care. She had to make it to the prison before Anthony got there. Geographically, she was closer. IF she hurried, she may just make it in time. Just before calling Matthew, she had printed an image and taken a picture from her mobile. She had both as she slammed the door behind her.

"I'm already on my way, Matthew."

"Wait, Anna, you can't. " Matthew sounded flustered. "Remember, you shouldn't."

She'd not confessed to Matthew about her visit. Apparently, John hadn't either.

"Oh, Matthew. I've already been there once, and I've just discovered the truth about Richard. He's Vera's secret lover. There's no way I am letting him ruin John." Before he could say anything further, she hung up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The brakes screeched when Anna pulled into the empty parking space at the prison. She was lucky she found a spot so quickly, given the limited spaces allotted for visitors. During a red light stop, she had managed to put on a jumper that minimized the perky evidence of her braless state and had found a hair tie to pull it all back and make her blonde mane look less wild. She still looked quite unkempt. Her sweatpants had nail polish stains and a ripped hem. She wore them for comfort, not fashion, and given the choice, she wouldn't be seen publicly in them, but vanity was the last thing on her mind. She needed to get to Anthony.

His car was in the lot. She recognized it immediately. She ran to the visitor gate and was let into the main hall. From her prior visit, she was aware that up to two visitors at a time could meet with each prisoner. She didn't know what she would do if Anthony weren't alone. She was frisked, as was customary, and her handbag was searched. She had put the image in an envelope and the guard put it between his fingers to feel if there was something besides paper in it. He put it back and Anna breathed a sigh of relief. She was allowed to bring him paper, books magazines and anything made of paper, and luckily, they did not open the envelope.

She explained that she was there to visit John Bates and the guard looked down the list. Noticing Anthony's name on the register, the guard spoke.

"He already has a visitor." Anna was mildly pleased. He had said visitor, not visitors. There was still room for her.

"Yes, it is my uncle Anthony Strallan. I was a few minutes late, but they are expecting me."

The guard looked at the name and it matched what she had spoken. "Well, you're not too late. Prisoner Bates just got here." He smiled in a weird flirtatious way that made Anna uncomfortable, but buzzed her through. She could see Mr. Bates through the enclosure's window, but he could not see her. As soon as she came into the room, panic set in. Her clear line of sight indicated that John had a pen in his hand. He was reading something. She wasn't too far away, but focused on the document on the table, he wouldn't see her. Anthony was facing in the opposite direction and could not see her either. Her heart skipped a beat when he brought the pen down, ready to sign.

"Mr. Bates," she yelled loudly. "Mr. Bates, don't." She prayed to God that he heard her.

The typical incessant, but low chatter of the visitor room was interrupted. Several annoyed visitors and prisoners guffawed at the outburst.

Her cries had the intended effect. He raised his eyes and stopped what he was doing, although he kept the pen in his hand and in position. As she approached, she could tell John was perplexed. He was like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes bore a sentiment she'd not encountered before. It was a mix of concern and trepidation.

Anthony swiveled his body when he heard the commotion and realized who the source was. His eyes reflected the same confusion as Mr. Bates'. More, if that were possible. He had no way to connect her to Mr. Bates, not when she had already been sacked from the company.

"Don't sign. Please. Don't sign," she added as she reached the table and positioned herself to sit next to Anthony. She was facing John.

"Prisoner Bates and visitors, please keep quiet," boomed the loudspeaker. Her yelp had obviously caught the attention of the guards. She turned to the control area and muttered a quick "Sorry" before she took her seat.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Anthony asked.

John was speechless. Anna could imagine the ideas running through his mind. He was likely worried she was there to out their relationship. He had also never seen her as unkempt as she was now. She looked like a whole other person.

"Please tell me you haven't signed?" she implored, ignoring Anthony momentarily.

"I haven't signed, but I must." John responded and begged her with his own eyes, his silent plea asking her what this was about.

"Mr. Bates, I am sorry to do this here and now, but I could not think of another alternative and the stakes were too high. I'm afraid that I have the evidence you needed. Vera's lover's identity has been discovered."

John closed his eyes. Anthony was here. Anna would not have blown her cover if it wasn't essential.

"Anna, are you here because of Richard's partnership papers?" he asked, calmly as he let out a breath.

Anthony had no clue what this was all about. "Is there something going on? I just need to get your signature and I will be on my way."

Ignoring Anthony again, Anna responded to Mr. Bates instead. "Yes, I am. You can't partner with Richard. Not when you see what I have to show you." She turned to the third member of their party, finally acknowledging him. "Anthony, I am sure you have many questions. John will answer as many as he can in just a moment."

John weighed his options. At this point, he had to tell Anthony who Anna was. Otherwise, he'd have Anthony thinking they were together and he didn't want them knowing. Not yet.

"Anthony," John addressed his colleague. "I need your absolute discretion. I know I have your loyalty and I trust you."

Anthony produced a tentative smile. As much as he liked to hear that John confided in him again, he had no idea what was going on and he wouldn't feel comfortable until he did.

"You can trust me, John," he added as he looked upon both of them.

"Anna is my private investigator. I hired her to work in the company and to find the evidence of Vera's betrayal. She is now working on finding the evidence of my innocence."

Anthony's jaw dropped. How had he not seen it? "You, Anna?" he asked, clearly in shock.

"Yes, and I can answer your questions in a moment. First, Mr. Bates needs to see this." She reached into her handbag and pulled out the envelope, handing it to him.

He took it. He sensed the importance of it, Anna having alluded to the discovery of his wife's lover, but asked anyway. "What is it?"

"You were right, Mr. Bates. I had my doubts, but the truth is now available to us. Vera was clumsy again. We caught her and her lover."

Without saying another word, he discreetly pulled the image out of the envelope. He shielded the view so that Anthony couldn't see.

As the color on John's face began to redden, Anna interceded. "Are you well, Mr. Bates?"

Trying to maintain his voice neutral, he responded. "I'm as well as I'll ever be. After what I've learned of Richard Carlisle in the past three months, I am not surprised to see him stoop so low. That arse." He had failed at keeping his calm. His voice was altered and his pitch high. He was visibly upset.

He slid the picture back into the envelope. "Please keep it for me," he addressed Anna as he handed it back. "I've no use for it here. The other prisoners will only find it and use it to wank off."

Anna shuddered at his verbal explanation.

"John, what does all of this have to do with the partnership? If what I think just happened, did happen, it still doesn't change the outcome. We still need the funds and he is the only one that can provide them."

John banged the surface of the table with his fist. The table was metallic, and the noise that resulted resounded throughout the room. Anna had never seen him upset. She shrunk back from the table.

"Dammit," he added.

"Prisoner Bates, this is your second and last warning," the guard muttered again through the intercom. Then noise of the table being assaulted reached as far as where they were.

Before things could escalate, Anna intervened.

"There is another alternative. Matthew was on his way to tell you today. Robert came through. He has the funds and they are ready. It is less than what Richard offered, about $110,000, but the contracts have been prepared. The terms mimic what is in this one," Anna pointed to the discarded agreement. She noticed that the locked jaw on John's face was beginning to relax and there was a renewed brightness in his eyes. "With only one additional clause," she added as she lowered her face bashfully. She was sure John would agree, but it was embarrassing for her all the same. "Robert and his investors want to be able to hire a full time employee to supervise their interests. They would pay the salary."

Mr. Bates' loud but controlled voice caught her attention again. "Bless him and bless the day we met. If I could see him right now, I would hug him." He cracked a smile. "I'll owe him for life," he added again in a joyful tone.

Anna was pleased for him and for his reaction.

"I take it you prefer to honor that lesser offer, rather than this one, then?" asked Anthony as he took the contract within his hands.

"Absolutely. Burn the bloody thing."

"What shall I tell him?" Anthony's brows furrowed as he pondered how he would break the news to Richard.

"Don't tell him anything, He can find out when the new investors are announced," answered John, reflecting an air of indignation. "Who is Robert proposing to hire anyway?" he blurted, suddenly remembering that this one item was still open for discussion. His offended stance changed and he was suddenly introspective. "One of his associates?" He seemed to ask himself, even when he spoke out loud, since he didn't wait for an answer. This first query spurred a couple of additional questions. "Who are they, anyway, these investors? Or did he source the money from his and Cora's funds?"

Both John and Anthony turned to Anna. Anthony didn't say a thing, but it appeared he had the same questions John had.

"I am not sure how he sourced it, to be honest, and as far as I know, he represents Crawley Investors exclusively…..and to answer your question, he is hiring me. If you sign his new contract, I will be going back to Bates Airlift."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was a sunny day, with not a hint of rain about, and Sarah and Thomas made the best of it. They were out for a smoke.

"How did your interview go?" he asked. Sarah had just returned from her deposition. Thomas had been there earlier and their paths had not crossed.

"I let them know exactly what I think of him. He's such an arse." Sarah was proud of herself for her performance. "They asked what I knew and I told them I knew that Mr. Bates was lousy man and boss."

"Did you now?" Thomas commented coolly. As always, the vibe he gave Sarah was one of judgment, and this enflamed her sensibilities.

"What, and you didn't?" Her incredulous tone turned to taunting. "Don't tell me you said he was the manager of the year? … You would….. I know you adore him."

Thomas creased his forehead at Sarah's comments. He didn't love Mr. Bates, but he didn't hate him either. Vera was his friend and he had an allegiance to her, but Mr. Bates had never done anything to him.

"I did not say he was the manager of the year, but I found no reason to say anything but the truth."

"Which is?" She tilted her head and flailed her arms in expectation. Sarah insisted on an answer.

"That he was passionate about his business and that he would do anything to get Vera out of there." He took a long drag from his cigarette.

Sarah was the one to frown now. "You pansy….. You didn't say anything negative at all. Next thing we know, he'll be released because of the glowing character testimonials given by his employees."

Thomas raised his eyebrow to mark his dissent. Sarah and her histrionics often gave him a headache. He also disliked being called a pansy. Irritation grew from the pit of his stomach.

"Well, it depends on how you look at it. I'm not sure I needed to say anything negative. Testimonials for or against him don't matter. It's the evidence that will do him in and I've already done my part."

A flash of regret passed through his eyes and Sarah saw it, just as she was processing his words. He hadn't wanted to say that. He'd already done his part?... What was that all about?

"What did you mean by that Thomas? That you've already done your part…" Sarah's eyes bore into him and for the first time in a conversation with her, he didn't feel in control. She was. He said nothing as he took another drag and looked away. "You have done something, haven't you?" She increased the intensity of her words. "What is it Thomas?"

The longer he took to answer, the more she would insist. He had to acknowledge her questions and chose the most neutral answer he could think of. "Nothing, it was just a matter of speech. I meant nothing by it."

Sarah did not believe him. His body language was saying more than his words were willing to admit. Completely tense, his face was rigid as was his stance. He was most uncomfortable.

Sarah took a step forward. She was completely oblivious to the extent of Thomas' dealings with Vera, but she had a hunch. They spent a lot more time together than either of them spent with her. It was not difficult to believe that he would be capable of helping his friend. For the first time in her life, Sarah felt like she finally understood what was happening around her.

"All of this, what Mr. Bates has done, it's you, isn't it?" She relaxed when she asked the question. Thomas would deny it, she knew, but she was certain she had guessed right.

"You're crazy, you know that?" was all Thomas answered as he threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it before heading back.

A small smile erupted on Sarah's lips. No, she was not crazy. Not this time.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Anna left the prison soon after, even when she wanted to stay. It seemed the most appropriate thing to do, since Anthony did not appear to want to leave and she couldn't justify her presence at their table any further. Anthony and John's conversation veered towards the terms of the new contract and Anthony had pledged to speak to Matthew to get to the bottom of it. Both men had approved her presence again at the firm which was a real blessing. Anthony was fidgety the whole time, probably nervous now that he understood her role. John had answered a few basic questions about the extent of the private investigation, but Anna guessed that Anthony was harboring some doubts about how he may have been investigated himself. If she did go back to Bates Airlift, she would need to clear the air with him.

When she was leaving and Anthony was busy writing, she was able to lip-sync "I love you". It thrilled her to share those words with him, even when they were silent. Mr. Bates also took a big risk, answering back "I love you too." Anthony had been none the wiser, but their hearts were fuller.

She'd hurried back from the impromptu prison visit to change her appearance before her appointment at Eagle Investments. She didn't want to look too posh, or too middle-class. She decided to wear a dress with a strand of pearls. It looked classy, without defining her income. She'd mentioned that her friend Vera Kelly had suggested their services and it opened doors for her. She'd met with Atticus Aldridge, the account manager assigned to Vera. She decided to use a different name in case Atticus spoke to Vera. She chose Edna Braithwaite, since Edna was also short and blonde. If he were to try to describe her, they would be similar. Atticus explained that they provided all sorts of financial planning services. They were brokers too and they could buy or sell stock, the companies she chose to invest in as determined by her inclinations, and they could also manage her assets. Anna felt she'd earned an acting award by the time she left. Atticus was positively delightful. He was trying his hardest to please her, even when he did not explain what Vera's investment consisted of. She'd pretended she wanted to do exactly as her friend was doing, and his response was vague. He was probably waiting for the moment she handed over her money, but alas, having just made the biggest investment decision in her life, she had no funds left over to continue with the ruse. When all was said and done, Anna understood that Vera was investing in something that she did not want John to know about. Joe would have to gain access into her account to determine what assets she was holding.

Now that she was back home, after a day of running around the countryside, it was back to the files to find more answers. Joe had sent her the dossiers on the Bates Airlift women and she had information to go over.

Gwen's file was first. Gwen Hortense Dawson was born in Scarborough in 1989, making her 26. Anna chuckled. Hortense? It was such an old-fashioned appellation and Gwen had never let on about her secret middle name. She'd find a way to wiggle that into a conversation someday. Gwen had a brother too. Her father was a teacher and her mother worked as a nurse in a retirement facility. She attended the University of Leeds and gained a degree in Business Administration. Her expenses were moderate and she had some savings, but she also did have some credit card debt. Her purchases were clothing related which matched what she knew of Gwen personally. Always impeccably groomed, she had a penchant for dressing smartly. There was nothing out of the ordinary in what she read and she moved on.

Anna was most curious about Sarah O'Brien. Sarah was in her early forties, having been born in the early 70's. Her father had been a military man, her mother a housewife. Due to her father's military assignments, she and her three siblings moved quite a lot in her childhood and youth, including a posting to Germany. She studied two years in an American University but did not obtain any degree or certification. Sarah had been married to an American when she was 19 and divorced three years later. There were no children. Anna had not expected that. With such a sour disposition, she couldn't imagine any man would want to take her on. The last piece of information in the file was even more startling than the knowledge of Sarah's marriage and divorce. Sarah had a police record in the United States. She had stolen a vehicle when she was 20. She served six months because she had no prior record and was allowed off early due to good behavior. A bubble of indignation surfaced itself. Anna felt herself getting riled up. If she were to look in the mirror, she was probably red-faced. Sarah had the gall to call Mr. Bates a common thief and she herself had served time? For an actual, not alleged theft? Anna couldn't wait to have the opportunity to one day rub it in her face. She didn't know what she would do with that bit of knowledge, or if it would ever come in handy, but it was highly advantageous to count with this tidbit of information in her mental coffers.

Daisy was next. She was the youngest at 25. Her full name was Daisy Iris Camellia Robinson. Goodness, thought Anna. That was a mouthful and just as old-fashioned as Gwen's Hortense. Daisy's younger sister was named Jasmine Violet Rose. A younger brother was named Hank. Upon learning her mother's profession, a botanist who owned a nursery, the names made sense. Anna wondered what a third daughter's name could have been. Poppy Hyacinth Petunia? Marigold Ivy Zinnia? It was too amusing for her. As she continued on, she read that Daisy's father was an electrician. Intrepid at a young age, Daisy studied at a Leeds flight school and had been straight out of training when Mr. Bates hired her. She was an oddball, at best. She didn't have ordinary interests and spent most of her off time taking classes. She had done ballet, kick-boxing and painting. She had memberships to literary societies, the Doctor Who fan club, was learning French and sewing. Her interests were everywhere. She lived at home, allowing her to spend her income on all her interests and frivolities. She didn't seem like the type that had a defined knowledge of computers. Even with her varied interests, none of her affiliations pointed to that.

Phyllis Baxter was last. As Anna picked up the file, she couldn't help notice how thin the dossier was. Two semi-blank pages were all it contained. One page had Phyllis' current address, mobile phone number and birthdate. She was 39, Anna calculated. There was no information on her place of birth or a record of her studies. The second page, where she would have expected to see a record of calls placed from her mobile, was empty. She had a number, but it was not used. Joe placed a note that she had no credit cards and no banking records. Anna was perplexed. Mmmm. How could she have no history? Nothing in cyber world? That was her oddest discover of the day. Phyllis was beginning to look like a suspect too. She was in accounting as well and knew all of the accounting practices used.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Are you sure about this John?" Matthew asked as his client read through the document.

"Yes. If Vera intends to fleece me, If she concocted this whole embezzlement and partnership dissolution to keep my share, then the only thing I can do is to sell it, or at least make her think I sold it. Now that Robert is involved, I know I can trust him to get my 42.5% back when Vera is out of my life."

"Do you trust Anna?" Matthew would never reveal what he knew, but if John was handing over the reins of his company over to Crawley Partnerships and Anna was set to represent them at the firm, then it would be better to make sure that he did know what he was getting into. "I ask because, if she represents Crawley Investors, and you've just handed over your entire share to them, she will be in charge of your money and all decisions."

When the Bates Airlift partnership was set up between John and Vera, both parts were equal in terms of gains and losses, and both had to agree on certain items – expenditures over $10K, hiring, dismissing, and employee's salaries. All other decisions, Vera had agreed, would come from John. Things hadn't turned sour between them yet, and Vera didn't really want the responsibility. She agreed that John had the better business sense, and he was a pilot. This being a transport company, he knew the ins and outs of helicopters better than she did. She signed willingly, and thus, the legal papers stated that his share was the managing partnership. Neither of them had thought anything about what would happen if he were to sell, the thought being unfathomable to him. There was no prevision written about this, and Matthew had confirmed that in the absence of such a clause, the law would allow for the transfer of the partnership to another party under the same conditions. Matthew mentioned that Vera could contest this in court, and a judge could rule in her favor, if so inclined. Still, if she decided to do this, it would take weeks to have her case heard in court, and it was not enough of a risk for him to put off what he wanted to do.

John thought of Anna again. He'd been thinking about her constantly since she left the prison earlier that morning. She was smart and had good ideas. He'd already seen the business side of her and he liked it. She had so much on her plate, though. Was it fair to her to have the responsibility of getting him out, on top of going head to head with Vera and running his company?

If anybody could do it, it was his Anna. "I trust her more than I have ever trusted anyone else."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Joseph Molesley had not been a popular child when he was growing up. His mother, may she rest in peace, had paranoiac tendencies and from an early age, he was homeschooled. She rarely let him out of the house, only allowing him to venture to the flower shop run by his father, and it was directly underneath their flat. He learned to entertain himself and read everything in sight, and took every machine they owned apart and then put it back together. His mother was pleased that he could find endeavors with which to keep busy and for the most part, they got on fine. When he was twelve, she met an unfortunate death on one of the few occasions she left the house, and his father forced him to go to school after.

When he was outside his home, he was most unhappy. Other children at school taunted him for his quirks and he was alone throughout most of his school days. His father, concerned with his son's friendless state, purchased him a computer, just as they were becoming popular and affordable. Thinking it would help his son entice more friends to come home, Joseph acquired the new machine and his life changed – not in the way his father would have wanted, though. After school he would come straight home. The computer was easier to get along with than his schoolmates. All of his high school years were dedicated to learning how to program and to understand computer languages. When the internet was introduced, Joseph Molesley was one of the first people in his county to subscribe. With his knowledge of computer languages and network infrastructure, there was nothing that was off limits. He was often reckless and took unnecessary chances, but with the love and guidance of his father, his computer obsession and the benefits of this compulsion did not make him into a criminal. Instead, he sought ways where he could make money by utilizing this skill.

His partnership with the Carson's was ideal. They were fair, the work was interesting and diverse and they paid well for his services. And there was Anna. Of course, he had done his research into the Carsons before their association and when he found pictures of their protégé, he was smitten. Everything he did these days, he did to try to impress their goddaughter and it just wasn't working out. In love with their newest client, that Mr. Bates, she was, and it broke his heart. Every twitter message that came out of her account was directed at that man, Joseph knew, and he saw his chances with the pretty blonde slimmer than they'd ever been.

In consolation, he messed with the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Both were on his list of 'arses that deserved to be messed with', among others. Every now and then, he'd poke into their private files and erase things. When feeling especially down, he'd infect their central government's servers with a hoax virus. This would be coupled with an alert that would make them think that all their files would self-destruct. He usually put a timer on the desktops of all of their internet security experts so that they could squirm as the seconds ticked by and as they desperately tried to contain and counteract his measures. His enjoyment came from the snap pictures of their worried faces that the self-destruct program's camera took the moment that his timer reached zero. There was a mock explosion on their screen and then a cartoon of Garfield would pop up, asking if they had any lasagna. He wouldn't erase their files, just make them think he did. He was very careful to cover his tracks, to make sure that this could not be traced back to England. After all, he did not want to create any international incidents. He wasn't trying to make a political statement at all. Just having a bit of fun.

He'd encountered a handful of folks in his life that could match his knowledge. They didn't know each other personally, but they knew of each other and each other's capabilities. The majority had unfortunately applied their skills in less than honorable undertakings and had ended up in jail. Stealing credit cards and identity theft was very popular among people with his skill and he thought it abominable. Joseph knew that he often broke the law when he hacked into websites and mobile phone messages, but he believed in the Carson's and knew that they were very good about what cases they took. None of the information that he sourced was used to punish individuals. He also free lanced for a legal firm out of London who took on pro-bono cases and another agency in Cheshire similar to the Carson's of Ripon. He felt his snooping was for the greater good.

When Anna asked him to hack into the twitter account of the troll that was tweeting her, he was genuinely stumped that he had not achieved it yet. This didn't appear to be the work of any of his usual counterparts. He was even more stumped when he awoke to find a new file on his desktop. Somebody had actually breached his own security. His first reaction was to hyperventilate. He was gasping for air, only able to take short breaths. How had this gotten past him? He only ever slept in three hour intervals, twice a day. Somebody had taken advantage of his down time. He reached for a paper bag, one he kept near him for these types of situations and breathed in, willing himself to calm down. If he was under attack, he needed to be at his best. As he breathed in and out, and the recycled carbon dioxide did its duty in restoring balance to his blood, he was able to concentrate and rationalize what was happening. There was a file and it was titled Barrow Partial Network. If somebody were trying to do him harm, they would have already disappeared the contents of his servers. He surveyed the lights and monitors around him and they all seemed to be working. He set the bag down, it having done the trick. He felt calmer than before. He considered what to do next. Before opening the document, he searched through the log files on his server, hoping to determine where the files had come from. There had to be an IP address. A quick check might help him determine if this were friend or foe.

He sighed. Whoever was doing this was clever. There was no IP address, only blank zeros in the place of number combinations. They knew what they were doing. If the file didn't have the name Barrow on it, he might have thought that the same foreign governments that he had toyed with were exacting their revenge for his practical jokes. Yet, since he did track Anna's twitter account and was aware that the troll had offered to help, this must be it. He breathed fully now.

He opened the document to find a series of IP addresses with arrows between them. What is this? He scratched his head. There was a comment at the bottom.

_I've managed to track Barrow's network partially. They want to make it look like John Bates did this. See if you can find the rest. I'll keep working on it. _

Joe had never been more gobsmacked in his life.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Charles was floating in the air. He and his Elsie had spent the better part of four hours in bed yesterday, and another two today. He was not a particularly intelligent man, nor very handsome and neither was he rich, but he had been blessed with the extraordinary love of a most remarkable woman and he considered himself the luckiest man in the world. She made him forget his incident. SUGAR who?

"Why the dreamy look, Pops?" One look at her Godfather and Anna knew he was somewhere else. She'd called them several times since yesterday and neither one of them had answered the phone. She'd almost given up, but Elsie did call her back, late at night. They'd set up this meeting to exchange information, but more importantly, because Anna needed to share her news.

"Never mind," he answered. Elsie, sitting next to him, reached out under the table and massaged his inner thigh. His eyes perked up with her touch, as did other parts of his body. Oh Lord, the things this woman did to him. He shifted his head slightly so that he could make eye contact with his wife. He implored her to stop with the expression in his eyes. She appeared to be enjoying this too much, but she silently acquiesced. She moved her hand away, not before smirking at him.

Anna was looking at her notes, and did not see what was happening across the table from her. "Have you anything important to share?" She asked without raising her head.

Elsie handed Anna a picture she had printed. "Your instinct is impeccable, my girl."

Anna took the print, and saw the image of Thomas and James locked in an embrace and about to kiss. She chuckled with amazement. "I knew it!"

"Do we have to worry about him?" asked Pops with a smile. The sight of Anna happy and laughing melted his heart. She'd not smiled this way in several weeks, ever since Mr. Bates had been arrested.

"I'll have Joe look into his background, but I can't see it. He's really not that smart." She retracted momentarily. "I mean….. He's no fool, you couldn't be a helicopter pilot if you couldn't master certain mechanical and mathematical foundations, but he's very simple in his thinking and he is not street smart. He won't even come out of the closet, for God's sake. He tries really hard to be seen as a woman's man, when he clearly isn't." Remembering the surprises she'd encountered with the women's files, she did not want to take any chances. "Still, I will look into his profile. It will prove entertaining if not eventful."

"I have gone through all of Thomas' URL history and computer files for the last year. Besides his penchant for porn and many Bates Airlift work files, he's been taking French classes. He has an account on Rosetta Stone's online learning program and he's been perusing real estate in Montreaux and Sion, Switzerland. He has several saved favorite properties. He's also looked at bed and breakfast locations in and around those cities. I wonder if our boy is preparing an escape?"

"Mmmm," thought Anna. "Switzerland? Joe hasn't confirmed whether Thomas has an account there, but based on what you're telling me, it's possible." Anna kept silent for a moment, processing an idea in her mind. "You know what else besides good banking Switzerland is really famous for?"

Elsie furrowed her brow as she racked her brain. "Fondue, winter sports and exquisite chocolate?" she offered to the conversation as a question. She wasn't sure where Anna was going with her thoughts.

Anna smiled. Those were obvious answers. "Well yes, but I was thinking more along the lines of impossible extraditions."

Pops chimed in. "You are right. The US tried to extradite that Polanski film director fellow and they couldn't achieve it. I remember reading that the Swiss do sign extradition treaties, but they rarely enforce them. Something about them disagreeing with the execution of certain international laws."

"Is it possible that Thomas, and maybe even Vera, in selecting Swiss bank accounts, are preparing to move there so that they can be close to their money? If the UK government ever caught on to their scheme and tried to go after them, it is highly unlikely that they would ever be brought to face justice."

"Well, my darling. We have to prove it was them, and soon. Doesn't the trial start in two weeks?"

Anna's nerves frayed at hearing a mention of the trial. They were so close, and she still didn't have everything she needed.

"Yes, we do have to find the answers soon. We had a break today and that should help."

Pops appeared perplexed. "What break?"

"The tweeter troll - incongnitohelper – the one I told you about, well, he or she infiltrated Joe's environment and left us a partial map of the IP route network being used. Joe explained that if Thomas was the culprit, as the document suggests, and as we suspect, he had to take the money from the Bates Airlift master account and into the Swiss account from Mr. Bates' IP address, and he was able to do it by utilizing a framework of proxy servers worldwide that would hide his tracks. He's been ingenious, the little rat."

"It's only partial?" Elsie looked on with interest.

"Yes, partial. Joe thinks he can track some additional routes too. He's trying to, at least." Anna showed them a printout of the document she was referring to. "This is complex. I am pretty techie, but I can't understand the complexity of it all."

"Oh, how wonderful. So we think we can prove that the transfers took place by hoax, but can you tie it to Thomas?" Charles didn't understand half of this modern stuff.

"I'm hoping that the IP address network will, but, there's another way I plan to do it. Starting tomorrow, I go back to Bates Airlift." She said the words with a subdued excitement. She still worried about what they would say about her investment.

"Did Vera hire you back?" Elsie chose to question her with the motherly look she often used when she knew something was not right.

Anna had not reason to be afraid, she was independent and she knew she had done the right thing, but she still valued their opinion and didn't want to lose them. She knew they didn't approve of him, no matter what they said.

She slowly started to move her head from one side to the other, indicating with her nod that this was not correct.

"Robert Crawley and I have purchased a stake in the company. I am going back as a representative of our partnership, to supervise our interests."

Anna saw the color drain from both their faces.

Elsie was the first to speak. "How much darling? How much did you invest?" She sported that supportive face Anna knew to be a façade. Elsie was just as shocked as Pops, only, she did a better job of covering it up. Pops still had the impassive look about him.

"All of the cash. Every last penny. I'm either going to be very rich when all is said and done, or very broke."

"Did he coerce you?" Pops finally said something. His tone was raised, even when he was trying to calm himself. His loudness reached a crescendo with his further questions. "What did he say to make you part with your money? Did he promise undying love?"

She expected this. She knew he meant well, but Pops was very bad at reading the situation.

"He has no idea." Anna's voice was defensive. "I explained to you before that the company was in peril because of the frozen accounts. He was about to partner with Richard, who we now know is the lover. I wouldn't allow him to be humiliated that way. Saved by the very man who his wife deceived him with? On top of everything else he is going through? I couldn't imagine anything worse…" She paused to compose herself. "After much thinking, Robert and I joined forces and I am the silent partner. Mr. Bates only knows that Robert sourced the money, not that the majority came from me."

"Darling, you have every right to spend your money as you wish." Elsie pronounced these words as she rubbed her temples to assuage the tension she was feeling. "We just worry. Please don't be offended by our doubts."

"I'm not offended. This is actually a sound investment. I've worked there. The company is run solidly and there is profit in the business. As long as we can continue to manage it as was done before, I should see a return on investment in a few weeks." She looked at Pops now, whom she had the hardest time addressing. "He's a good man. I've seen him twice at the prison in the last two weeks. He may not have promised undying love, but he did tell me he loved me. That makes this all worth fighting for."

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Anna was nervous. Robert was just as fidgety. They were about to embark on the performance of their lives. To their surprise, Matthew had explained late yesterday, when they met in the evening to review last minute details, that John had a change of heart and that there were new circumstances. Matthew explained that John trusted them with his full share now. Legally, that is what was written, that John had sold his entire share for their measly $110K. He had provided detailed instructions to Anthony, clear with what he wanted the moment Anna left the prison. Matthew had come to see him in the early afternoon, having already applied the changes requested. When Anna discovered that the management clause made her Vera's superior, she almost fainted. Since they were meeting at the pub, Robert had handed her a soda, hoping the rush of sugar would help steady her. That it did, physically, but mentally, her brain could not fathom what was happening.

It was a surprise she was not expecting. When it was accorded that she would go back as an employee of Crawley Investors, Anna assumed that she might take on an Analyst role. What Mr. Bates requested, though, was for her to oversee everything. He meant for her to be his voice of reason, and for her to make sure all of his employees were treated fairly, not exploited, or mistreated. Basically, supervise everything Vera was doing, and make sure she didn't mess it up. Anthony would help her, as there were some tasks from his side of the business that she did not see or practice during her tenure as intern. She questioned his logic that she was chosen for this, but Matthew and Anthony only explained that Mr. Bates had confidence in her and her work and that she should not worry. Given the departmental rotation that she had already accomplished, she had much more practical experience in running his company than anybody from the outside had. It couldn't be Robert, as he had to tend to his own business, and there was nobody else that John trusted to the same degree outside of Anthony. It left Anna in a panic, truth be told. She spent the last night drenched in sweat, worried about letting him down and making mistakes that could cost him additional expenses.

And now, they were both outside, in the car, taking their last breath before starting their new adventure. Everything she had ever learned in school led up to this moment. Every lecture, project and assignment made her learn something that no doubt, would help her in her biggest challenge yet. She thought of her parents and Godparents and wanted to make them proud.

They were waiting for Matthew to arrive and as they saw him pull into the lot, Robert addressed her. "Are you ready, Anna?" Robert took her hand and squeezed gently, in a kind and friendly gesture. She appreciated the comfort and squeezed back.

"I am. Let's do this."

They descended the car and greeted Matthew. He had all the legal paperwork in case their ownership rights were contested. After a few minutes of formality between them, they turned towards the entry and Anna could discern Gwen's surprised face from the reception desk, even when they'd not arrived yet. Gwen likely never expected to see her back on the compound. The last few steps to the lobby, Anna breathed in an out, attempting to relax herself and her legs that were wobbly.

Once inside, Gwen was immediate in her greeting. "Anna, Matthew. How nice to see you!" She reached out through the reception window with a nervous excitement, intent on shaking the men's hands. Matthew took her hand gently, and when they finished, Gwen looked upon Robert, waiting to be introduced.

"Gwen, this is Robert Crawley, a friend of Mr. Bates'," Anna was quick to add when she saw Gwen's face.

The read-head, polite as ever, shook his hand and added, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Crawley."

Gwen would have rather hugged Anna, but she couldn't manage it with a wall between them. She resorted to taking her hand in hers with enthusiasm. "What brought you back? I didn't think I would every see you in this place again, although I have missed you. It's not been the same without you."

Anna squeezed Gwen's hand back and hoped internally that after all the melodrama that would take place today, Gwen would still want to be her friend.

Matthew spoke to answer, since neither Anna nor Robert were keen to say anything.

"Gwen, we need to see Vera. We don't have an appointment, but this is a very important visit, regarding the ownership of Bates Airlift." His voice was calm, but serious. Gwen read through the words and understood this to be of an important nature. She wasn't sure why she should be serious about it, but she was.

"Please take a seat. Let me advise her." She kept eye contact with Anna as she stepped back to find the woman, her gaze an open question as to Anna's involvement.

None of them took a seat and they all preferred to just stand about. Anna didn't want to look upon either of her companions, lest she lose her nerve, and focused on the tile pattern on the floor. She hadn't noticed the amount of tiles with cracks. She had never really spent any time in the reception, never having been made to wait before, and she realized that it looked unbecoming. It wasn't a very welcoming sight in this area. From a customer's standpoint, the first impression was shabbiness. Mmmm. She made a mental note to take care of this. If she were now in charge, she would pay attention to the details. A customer's experience started from the moment they arrived on their premises.

An embarrassed Gwen returned a few minutes later. Just by looking at her, Anna surmised that Gwen's interaction with Vera had not been pleasant. "Mrs. Bates is busy right now. Can I make an appointment for you tomorrow?" There was unspoken agony written across her face.

Matthew had anticipated this. When preparing for this moment, he mentioned getting inside would be a challenge. They'd also agreed that he would do the talking.

"Gwen, please tell Mrs. Bates that we will be staying here until she has time to meet with us. We can wait in the lobby until she has some time, but we would be more obliged if we were allowed through to the conference room. We would rather wait for her there. She can take as long as she likes."

Matthew was restrained in his answer, but firm. After all, this wasn't Gwen's fault and it was apparent to all of them that she did not enjoy the situation that she had landed herself in.

Gwen's expression did not alter. She grudgingly accepted the missive, acknowledging the request by a quick nod.

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"Mrs. Bates, they've stated that they will wait for you until you have time. I see them very determined to stay. Matthew Crawley requests that you allow them through to the conference room and that you can take as long as you'd like."

Vera was not pleased. When Gwen had informed her who the visitors were, she was befuddled, then annoyed. John's lawyer, his best friend and the ditzy intern they had just sacked were an interesting combination and she did not believe that they were there to talk about Bates Airlift ownership. She thought that Anna, for she did know the blonde's name, was there to sue the company for having sacked her. There was no other logical explanation to her presence there, yet it did not explain the presence of Robert Crawley. They ought to have made an appointment and their barging in on her sacred time was very rude, whatsoever their intentions.

Frowning and aggravated, she responded. "Did I not tell you to get rid of them?" Her words were laced with sharpness, implying to the girl that she was incompetent for not having completed the task. Richard Carlisle was with her and before Gwen could even respond, she made another nasty comment. "I swear, I can never get anyone do anything right." Vera didn't even lower her voice.

He didn't respond and instead looked on.

Gwen bit her lip; her strategy to avoid any back talk that could infuriate her boss any further. Instead, she managed a firm, but polite response. "I tried Mrs. Bates. Matthew Crawley is fixed that they intend to stay." Truth be told, she didn't understand what was going on. Even if she did, there was no way that she would be rude to the group. Mrs. Bates could lump it. She'd not been nice to her in the last week and Gwen had no incentive to make the situation easier for her. Let her be on the uncomfortable end for once, she declared to herself. And thus, Gwen decided to help the group. "Might I add that we have the group of passengers from Dow Chemical arriving in less than half an hour, and keeping the lot of them in the lobby will make it crowded and unpleasant for our customers. Perhaps moving them to the conference room is wise. Unless, of course, our customer's experience is no longer a priority of Bates Airlift's..…You would be the best to decide this. I'll do whatever you wish."

Her tongue in cheek comment was delivered flawlessly, and Vera winced.

"I say you get over with it, rather than have these undesirables hanging out in the lobby." Richard provided his pearls of wisdom to Vera. "If they are not going to leave, just grab the bull by the horns, listen to them, then kick them out…..Show them who is boss."

Even with Richard's suggestion, Vera sat idly, pondering her thoughts. She made no attempt to answer immediately. Not relenting from her subdued torture tactic, Gwen stood firmly. She wasn't going to leave until she had a directive.

Finally, Vera looked up.

"Put them through to the meeting room. Don't offer them any refreshments and don't chat with them. Tell them that the management team of Bates Airlift will meet with them shortly." As an afterthought, she added, "Richard, you are coming with me."

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At least half an hour passed from the time Gwen ushered them into the meeting room. As she crossed into the office, her nervousness was derailed with the pleasure she derived from walking alongside Sarah O'Brien's desk. The woman almost fell off her chair at the sight of her. She was there with Tony Gillingham and Jack Ross, discussing something about their schedules. Both men's eyes also reflected their surprise at seeing her walk so freely among them. Just as she turned into the conference room, she caught Phyllis' attention. The woman's brows furrowed, clearly as surprised as the others. With this, a sense of calm passed over Anna, and not even the waiting allowed the nervousness to return. She felt empowered, ready for the adventure to start. Robert looked more nervous than she did. She thought about Mr. Bates' and channeled his poise and attitude. Handsome and confident, he was a true leader. She closed her eyes for a second and his image appeared before here. This was not the angered man she'd seen at the jail, but a happier version of him. His smile was beautiful and she liked to imagine that it was just for her. The wrinkles around his eyes crinkled, as they often did when he was filled with excitement. She relaxed fully. This was her moment. He trusted her with his most prized possession. Let her detractors be damned, she thought._ I will make him proud and I will not let this company falter_.

Vera arrived not a minute later, followed by her lover. Not keen on formality, she did not even shake their hands or attempt a polite greeting. She took a seat at the head of the table. Ever the salesman, Richard was more welcoming. He shook hands with the men. He looked upon Anna, catching her wrist before she could react. At his touch, she froze. As he wrapped his grubby paws around her fingers, squeezing more than he ought, she felt a million little stab all over her body. She disentangled her hand as quickly as polite company could muster and said not one word to him. He took his seat next to Vera.

"What can we do for you?" inquired Vera in a tone that conveyed her annoyance.

"Thank you for taking time to meet with us, Vera." Matthew's accolade fell from his lips naturally and Anna wanted to laugh, but she kept her cool. "We understand how busy you are."

Vera didn't answer, but grunted an awkward acknowledgement.

"We're here because John Bates has transferred his partnership."

Richard's chest became fuller and he sat taller, if that were possible. He was sure this comment was about him. A timid smirk crept on to his lips, already savoring his victory.

"Yes, I am aware that my husband has sold a share of his holdings to Richard Carlisle. I believe that would have happened yesterday. That is why Richard is here." In her matter-of-fact tone, she added, "I didn't t need you to come all the way here to tell me that.

Matthew was unfazed by the comments. Like any good lawyer, his stance was emotionless and firm.

"But I, and we, Vera, do need to come all the way here to meet with you and explain that John did not sign the papers. I am sorry, Richard, but John had a change of heart. He did not enter into a partnership with you."

The fine lines on Richard forehead came together in a very unnatural looking furrowed brow. Anna would describe it as a repressed rage. His pasty white color also changed, much like a chameleon, to a light shade of pink, followed by a bright red. His hands were balled and his breathing sounded erratic.

Vera did not react the same way. Her mind went racing, trying to make sense of it all. Her thinking was loud, and Anna could see behind her cold eyes that her brain was processing the information. She did appear a little tense, if not completely bothered. Thus, she did react, mildly. Perhaps it was because she didn't understand the implications. Anna was sure that would change very soon.

When she perceived Richard was ready to speak out, she put her hand out in front of him to stop him. "Is this a joke, Matthew?"

"No, it is not. Mr. Bates received another offer at the last minute and he decided to accept it." Matthew turned to look at Robert, conceding that he should now speak.

"John Bates has sold me his entire holdings." Robert's voice was strong and Anna could detect a hint of pride in his statement. "As of this moment, I, Robert Crawley, hold an equal partnership stake to you, Vera. John's relinquishment of his stake invalidates your partnership dissolution request. I am your new partner."

Anna had only ever seen this kind of scene in the movies, or written in a novel. Vera's tempered response of a minute earlier morphed into something else.

"That bloody idiot," responded Richard. "He's going to regret this. I'll make his life miserable."

Anna wondered if it was a sin to enjoy Richard's reaction. Could it be considered pride? Or wrath? Whatever, she thought to herself. Neither Vera nor Richard deserved any considerations or pity from her. Not with the way they'd treated Mr. Bates. You reap what you sow, her mother would often say, and it was time to bring in the harvest.

Robert was brilliant with his attitude and comeback. "I am sorry, old chap. I wish you could have found out another way. Truly, I do. As for my friend, John, well, I don't see how he could regret it. He's sitting on a pile of cash I gave him. And about making him miserable, what do you plan to do? He's in jail and you fucked his wife. I'd say there is not much else that you could do."

Vera gasped at Robert's words, then went through the same stages of tempered rage that Richard went through not even a few minutes earlier. Her jaw locked as her faced turned steadily more colored. It wasn't embarrassment, or humiliation. Anna fathomed that this was more like the wrath that she had pondered a few minutes ago. Vera had a plan, and this must have knocked her off of whatever track she was following. She must have spent years concocting her revenge and John had bested her, foiled her when she was as confident of her victory as she could be.

"Well, if I can't make John miserable, then, I'll make you miserable." The aggression in Richard's voice was parallel to that in his body. As he pushed himself out of his seat, the momentum toppled the chair backwards. Even though the room was carpeted, it still made a considerable amount of racket. "Welcome to Bates Airlift, Robert Crawley," with that, he stormed out of the room, not without throwing the door closed. This noise was even louder than that of the chair falling, and If Anna knew the employees outside, they were already clustered together, speculating as to the nature of the meeting.

After Richard's Prima Dona exit, Vera was alone. It did not diminish her presence at all. A force to be reckoned with, she gained more poise by puffing out her chest. She too stood taller, even if she were sitting. She eyed Anna with rancor. Her assumption as to the blonde's presence was wrong, and she couldn't quite determine what it meant for her to be here.

"Why are you here?" she asked boldly.

"Ah, good. Let's get on with the rest of it," Robert added cockily. "I have another business, and so, I cannot be here full time. I have hired Miss Anna Smith, whom I believe you have already worked with, to represent me fully. I have signed all of the paperwork to give her power of attorney and make any and all decisions regarding my part in the partnership. Starting immediately, she will be working alongside you."

While her jaw had been clenched before, it now dropped. Anna was sure she could fit a whole bacon sandwich in there, so large was the gaping whole made by Vera's open mouth.

Now it was Anna's turn to puff out her chest and stand tall. Everybody else in the room had had their moment and now it was hers.

"I am so pleased to be back, Violet . I missed the office so much." The cheek in her voice could not be contained, even if she tried. "Since you moved into Mr. Bates' office, I'll just go ahead and take the one that was yours. Packing is such a nuisance and I wouldn't dream of moving you out of your new domain."

Anna even chuckled internally. She was going to have fun, just as Vera did with her. She'd learned every single name that started with a V. Two could play that game.

"Her?" Vera responded in a hostile way. Her manners went out the door long before Richard ever did, and they were past pleasantries now. The disdain in her voice was evident. "The bloody intern is your new manager?"

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_**A/N: I bet most of you knew about Richard by now…. He and Vera deserve each other. It only took 20 chapters to make the revelation, so thank you all for your patience…. And….. also, thank you to those who are sticking around while John is still in jail. I know you would all prefer Anna and John together, as do I, but it won't happen for a few more chapters. In the end, she will get him out!**_

_**I've had a bout with writer's block and haven't been able to progress much with my final chapter. I've only managed 1.5K in three weeks. In the meantime, I think I can progress posting this and probably, the next chapter, very soon. I am intent on getting it all finished before series 6 starts.**_


	21. Crisis Averted

**No Chelsie in this chapter. Anna proves herself as Manager! There is a trigger warning for the last section, though. Richard is back.**

**Words 12.9K**

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Anna stood at the head of the meeting room table as she peered at the faces around her. Just what she expected – there was tension laced with fear. Not all of the team was present, as it was already well into the morning and several pilots would have already initiated their journeys. It was mostly the administrative staff, plus Alfred and Daisy. Gwen, who always sat at the front, focused her eyes in a silent plea, imploring to know what was going on. Anna smiled with appreciation; the only response that could be provided under the circumstances. She could only share her news if they were alone, yet it was not likely that if she'd have the opportunity to do a sidebar conversation and hoped her eyes conveyed that she was sorry she couldn't provide more information.

Only twenty or so minutes ago, they were still in this very room, talking to Vera about the contract. Vera had underestimated John. The issue of the management had not come up when Richard was purchasing the share, as Mr. Bates still held the majority under that hypothetical sale. Had Vera been able to dissolve the partnership, before the sale, management would have fallen to her, given that she would have held the rights to buy his share. But, without the dissolution request actually having been processed by a judge, John could still legally sell his share, and the management of the company with it. Matthew showed her the most important documents, including the wording that sealed her fate. Matthew reiterated that Robert Crawley was the Managing Owner now, and in his place, Anna was the General Manager. After Vera had used some expletives and other unkind remarks, she agreed, reluctantly, that they would call a meeting to explain the change of Leadership within the firm.

At the last minute, Vera decided not to stay for the reunion. Richard was also nowhere to be found, and Gwen did search for him, but she gave up, not wanting to be late herself. She'd summoned the troops, without asking any questions.

Matthew was still there, and when all were settled, he addressed those in attendance.

"For those of you who don't know me, I am Matthew Crawley. I am Mr. Bates' lawyer, as well as the legal representative of this firm. I'm here at the request of Mr. Bates. There is no proper way to say this, except to say it quickly. Mr. Bates has sold his interest in Bates Airlift."

Daisy and Gwen gasped, while the others were left speechless. Even Sarah had a shocked face.

"After much heartache, and due to the situation he is facing, he was forced to make the tough decision of relinquishing this company. He loved it, and built it from the ground up. He loved all of you, but in the end, he thought it best for the company if he was separated from it. With him, and his uncertain situation, he was sure the company would face negative fallout."

Anna was touched by what she saw. Daisy, Phyllis and Gwen had tears in their eyes. Alfred's face reflected shock, like he'd woken up in the middle of a really bad dream and still couldn't place where he was. Thomas was just as surprised, but there were machinations going on in his brain. No doubt, Anna thought, he was experiencing similar reactions to those that Vera had. Only, Thomas was much better than Vera at hiding his disgust.

Brave Daisy was the first to speak. "I can't believe it. Mr. Bates….gone?"

Robert and Anna bit their tongues. They wouldn't say anything until Matthew introduced them.

"All I can tell you is that this was not easy for him, and he had all of you in his mind when he made the decision. He only agreed to sell when he found a buyer that he could trust, somebody who would keep the company on the same track and who would love it just as much as he did." He turned to face Robert, and stretched out his hand, pointing at him so that all of their attendee's attention was redirected towards him. "This is Robert Crawley, the new owner."

Robert stared at a sea of blank faces. They weren't very welcoming, the whole topic having left them bewildered, but they weren't threatening. He could tell that most of them were at different stages of the thought process surrounding the changes.

"Thank you Matthew." He gathered his wits about him. "Yes, I am Robert Crawley, and John Bates is a good friend of mine. I know what this company means to him, and I know what all of you mean to him too. He's asked me to make sure I take good care of you and the choppers, which I intend to do. I don't know anything about them, as I've owned a pub for years, but I intend to soak up as much as I can."

He turned towards Anna. "Besides retaining Mr. Bates' services as a consultant, I've hired Miss Anna Smith, whom you all know, to be my General Manager. Although she was only here a few months, she knows much more that I do, and she will be the one to lead us through the next difficult months."

The result of his words was more confusion amongst the attendees.

"I'm Sarah O'Brien, Mr. Crawley. What do you mean by General Manager? Vera is our General Manager, is she not?"

Robert did not want to belittle Vera in public, although she had no discernible contributions in the last weeks, or even in the last years. He didn't want his introduction to the team to be remembered as controversial.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah. Vera is an important part of this company and she is one of the founding partners. She will always play an instrumental role in the continued success of this company. She has graciously stepped down from that post, having taken over in Mr. Bates' absence. I have nothing but praise for her contributions during her tenure, but, as of this moment, Vera will report to Anna, and Anna holds the title of General Manager. Is that clear?"

"Blimey!" somebody whispered, and it was a sentiment shared by all.

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"Mr. Bates no longer an owner? I just can't make sense of it," Gwen commented to her colleagues when Anna, Mr. Crawley and Matthew had retreated to Anna's new office. Everybody had sauntered to the kitchen, as they always did, post meeting. The women were there, including Tom who didn't want to go back to the maintenance bay just yet.

"I can't either. He loved this company. He wouldn't have let it go so easily. Something must be up." Deep in thought, Phyllis added her opinion. "Did he do this to best Vera?"

"We can only guess. Robert Crawley seems nice, but I am just befuddled about Anna." All the women perked up. Nobody had wanted to say anything, lest their comments be considered negative, but Tom voiced the concern they all shared. Anna was a friend, but they all had their doubts. "I mean, she's smart, and caring, has a great work ethic and is very dedicated…..but she was the intern. How does one go from that to General Manager? After being sacked, no less?"

"I am shocked, to be honest. I didn't see it coming. She is my friend, but she didn't tell me anything. Or at least, we were friends. I just don't know how I am supposed to act with her anymore." Gwen flailed her hands upwards in a questioning stance. "Am I her administrative assistant now? Or am I Vera's?" The tone was light, but there was real consternation.

"She is smart. She can't replace Mr. Bates, but, she is a marked improvement over Vera. I am sure she is just as nervous as we are. We should give her a chance." Phyllis' calm logic prevailed.

"Definitely," muttered Tom. "There's no reason not to. Mr. Bates is gone, but I still need to keep my job. I wasn't too sure I would with Vera in charge."

Daisy had been quiet, taking in all the comments. "What do we call her now? Is it Ms. Smith or Anna?"

"It's Anna. There is no need to call me anything other than what you've called me before." Anna decided to enter, having heard most of the exchange from outside. She had settled Robert and Matthew in her new office. Knowing that the others would have questions and doubts, and would certainly be congregating in the kitchen, she decided to seek them out. Her assertion regarding their confusion was confirmed as she heard them voice their thoughts. Phyllis was right. She was very anxious. Going against Vera did not make her as nervous as being accepted by her colleagues did. They had a right to be uneasy about her leadership.

Caught off guard, they were all visibly embarrassed. If she were to succeed at this new position, she needed their support and cooperation. It was not her intention to make them suffer and proceeded to speak to them with heartfelt words.

"Listen, I know that my reappearance is a surprise to all of you. It is a surprise to me too. If anybody would have asked me, six months ago, what I would be doing with my life, I would not have guessed this. Destiny has conspired against us all. When Robert Crawley, the new owner and the father of a friend of mine, approached me with the offer, I couldn't believe it. He was aware that I had interned here. He felt more comfortable coming to me than finding somebody new. Am I the best option? I don't know, but I do know that anybody else that might have come to replace Mr. Bates would not have had the love for this company that I do. I saw Mr. Bates' devotion to you and to this business and I intend to do all I can to see it prosper."

Their tense bodies relaxed as she spoke. She was getting through to them.

"Do I know everything I need to know about this company? Certainly not. Anthony has agreed to help me, but, if I am going to succeed in keeping us afloat, I am going to need help from all of you…..So, will you walk with me, down this new road? Can I count on you?"

Admitting to them that she was nowhere near perfect was key. She'd read that in one of her management books. Taking over a department where there was other more knowledgeable employees required an exercise in humility. If she were to get them on her side, she'd have to admit she needed their help.

Her strategy was spot on.

"Of course, Anna." Daisy was first to concede. "I'm not sure what I could do, but I'll help in whatever way I can."

Anna smiled at her and reached out to touch her forearm. "Thank you Daisy." She turned to the others with the same sweet disposition that she had always demonstrated to them.

"You can count on me. Sorry about what I said." Tom was still embarrassed, but his words were genuine.

Always bashful, Phyllis nodded her assent. Given Phyllis' history of non-involvement and social evasion, Anna reckoned this was as good as she would get. She would take it positively.

Gwen wasn't too forthcoming in her acceptance. She whispered "Yes," and didn't say much else. Anna realized that Gwen might require more intimate a session. They had been friends and not telling her she was coming back surely hurt her. Knowing Gwen's impeccable integrity and work ethic, though, she worried least about getting her aboard.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Anthony, can I have a word?" Anna went to him instead of doing what Vera had always done, summoning him by yelling from her desk. She closed the door behind her.

"Of course," came his polite response. He'd been dreading this meeting. This woman was a real enigma to him. Finding out she was a private investigator left him riddled with self-doubt. How much did she know about him?

"I can't imagine what you must be thinking." Anna took a seat. They needed to clear the air between them if they were going to work closer.

Who was he kidding? Anna's presence here was a source of real worry for him. Besides having his life on display to her, she was the new Manager. He hoped John Bates and Robert Crawley knew what they were doing.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't have any questions." He just came out and said it.

"Ask me what whatever you want. I'll answer as truthfully as I can." She was sincere.

Anthony let out a deep breath. He had a lot of unanswered questions. Her openness was a good start.

"All this time that you have been working here, you've just been investigating each one of us?"

He was direct. She had expected him to half muddle through the questions.

"Mr. Bates hired me to pose as an intern. During this time, I was expected to provide the proof of Mrs. Bates' affair. Providing that proof did involve investigating every member of this staff. It also included learning every aspect of this company's operation to maintain the deception. My acquired knowledge is genuine."

"Your background, the one Mr. Bates told us about when you first arrived here, how much of it is true?" She may have learned the areas through her rotation, but he wasn't aware if she had the educational qualifications for the job.

"It's all true. I did graduate from Warwick University with a degree in Business Management. I don't have extensive experience, but I have been working on different aspects of investigations on and off since I was 14. I expected to come back as an analyst to continue with the investigation and help the firm, but Mr. Bates' change of plans was unexpected. I am just as surprised to be here as you are, but now that I am, I intend to make a go of it. I will not let him down. Managing the company is just as important to me as finding the evidence to get him out."

"Mmmm," he responded. Her words and enthusiasm made him feel better about her having been chosen to lead the firm. Not so much about her knowledge of his private life. "So, I take it you are aware of Edna's allegations and the child?"

Anna nodded in agreement. To reassure him, she added, "Anything I have learned is private. My associates and I do not use that information other than to provide answers to the party that hires us. We also follow an ethical code. Finding out about Edna and her involvement with you was part of our services to Mr. Bates. Investigating her and the child's paternity, were performed after Mr. Bates asked your permission. We have more information, when and if you are ready to proceed."

What a quandary. Without John here to egg him on, he wasn't sure he wanted to go any further. He never wanted to know the truth to begin with. And what would Anna think of him? A bona fide git -bamboozled by a con artist. That didn't speak highly of his intellect or common sense.

Anna perceived this was a difficult subject for him. It likely hadn't been simple to begin with, but with John as a go-between, the matter was easier to digest. With John gone, and having to deal with her, he couldn't be comfortable at all.

"Anthony, there is no judgement on my part and this has no influence on our working relationship. It's just information that I am helping you acquire."

Her matter-of-fact, but compassionate delivery helped him make a decision.

"Fine. Tell me. What else do you know?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"That was unexpected. Were you aware?" Thomas made his way into Vera's office with caution. They were friends, but after the events of the morning, he didn't expect her to be friendly. She had kept herself hidden away, avoiding answering any questions regarding the new management. She'd not been seen by anybody from the staff, except possibly Gwen, who'd come to retrieve some documents. Her eyes, indicative of her foul mood were not welcoming, but she didn't kick him out.

"No, I didn't," she answered gruffly, the thought of John winning infuriating her. "I admit I didn't anticipate that John could sell his part." With an aggressive voice, she added, "That bastard!" She threw the pen she had in her hand towards the cupboard. It ricocheted upon impact and hurtled toward Thomas, but it landed a few inches away. Vera then put her hand on her temple, rubbing at her skin.

"What will you do?" Thomas inched forward and put his hands on the back of the seat in front of him. Even with the menace of flying objects, he felt secure Vera wouldn't attack him.

"I don't know yet. My other investment has garnered a tidy sum, but I was counting on taking over the entire company to liquidate all of my assets. If I cannot liquidate, I don't have as much money as I thought." After a pause, she continued. "It's unlikely, with blonde bitch in charge, that Bates Airlift will default as quickly as I expected. She'll try to make things work, but, It'll default, sooner or later, as the dimwit has no real skill in management."

"You're right. She's pretty smart, but that doesn't mean she can succeed. While we are still here, we can make things challenging for her – make the inevitable, happen sooner?" His sneaky intonation garnered a discreet smile from her.

"Good boy," she responded with gusto. His words gave her hope. "We'll take things one day at a time. First, we need to get John locked away permanently. When that is all done, I'll decide when to make my move. For now, we go on as normal."

"What about Richard?" Thomas asked. "What'll happen to him now?"

"He's not told me what he plans to do. He's not been back to the office since he stormed out of the meeting room. I can't imagine it will be good."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She'd been at the helm two full days and it already felt like a decade had passed. In the bathroom, on the third day, she'd found a gray hair and she swore she didn't have it when this new arrangement started. Just three days in and it was already wearing down on her. She sighed as she tucked it out of sight. If need be, she'd start dying her hair like her godmother did. It wouldn't suit her well to age prematurely.

After Robert and Matthew had left her, the first day had been strange - Not that she expected everything to go smoothly. It was life altering for her, and she supposed it was odd for the others. They inched along, awkwardly, trying to make sense of it all. Sarah, Thomas and Vera kept to their spaces, hardly making their presence known. Sarah's reactions were the one she garnered the most enjoyment from. When Anna walked by, she could feel the woman tense up and cower. She was going to meet with Sarah soon, just as she was meeting with the others, but she relished making her suffer. Maybe tomorrow she would put her out of her misery.

Even those that had pledged support were peculiar around her. She guessed they were just waiting to see what her management style would be like. She couldn't blame them. They'd had too many things happen to them in such a short time. When they realized she wasn't there to make any massive changes, they'd relax.

That same day, she'd set up another afternoon meeting, specifically for those pilots who'd been out, to explain the situation. The news had traveled quickly, and all of them were aware of the management change upon their arrival. No doubt Daisy and Alfred had gotten the word out. Michael pledged his support warily and she understood his hesitation. She wasn't offended. He'd been an ally of Mr. Bates from the beginning. It would take a while for him to warm up to her new role. She looked forward to proving to him that she could do this. After Mr. Bates himself, Michael was whom she wanted to impress the most. John had such a high regard for him and his professionalism, that earning his stamp of approval meant the world to her.

The sweetest reaction of all came from Evelyn. He lamented Mr. Bates' departure, but after retaining much guilt for the part he played in Vera's decision to fire Anna, he was beaming with joy. His burdens lifted off of his shoulders, he went as far as hugging her, after asking permission, and when others were out of earshot, he pledged his full support. "Absolutely anything you require, work-related and/or not work-related, I am your man." He was adorable, really, and as always, a real gentleman. His enthusiasm was infectious, and at the end of her shift, albeit weary from such an intense day, she felt good about herself.

The second day was no better; with everyone still tip-toeing around her. Gwen had brought her some invoices to review, and Anna felt a smile come over her, but no sooner she had come, Gwen had left. Richard had been a no-show. Part of her was grateful for that, for in all of this, she didn't know how to proceed with him. She was his boss now, but the memories of his harassment were fresh in her mind. Would he cruise on in and pretend it never happened? Not likely. He'd be angry, of course. Cheated out of his partnership, there was no way to tell how he would react.

On the third day, though, she knew that she had to call him. Whether he liked it or not, he was still an employee. If he didn't want to come back to work, and was perhaps, quitting, they would have to know sooner or later. The earlier they knew, the quicker they could replace him and get on with their lives.

By mid-morning, when she was at her desk, ready to make the dreadful call, Gwen came into her office. The frown lines etched on her otherwise smooth skin were indicative of angst. The redhead was worried and her coloring was starting to alter.

"Anna, I've had a most disturbing call from Mr. Wiggleton." Her tone was fraught with anxiety.

Ah, the one customer they had bungled in the past, one of their top executive clients. She silently prayed they hadn't made any mistakes with him again. Losing him would not happen on her watch. "What is it Gwen? What is the matter?"

"He says…" Her voice broke down and she flailed her arms to gain her composure again. "He says that he received a call from Richard Carlisle, of Helicopters UK, advising him that Bates Airlift was going out of business within six months and that he should transfer all of his services to them now and that they could even give him a 10% discount to make the transition sooner."

"What?" Anna's face contorted with indignation. _That slimy bastard!_ _That narcissistic, treacherous imbecile!_ This was her failure, not calling him until the third day. He'd defected to the competition, a classic revenge move. No doubt he was out to steal all of their business. It was a smart move, attacking them when they were not expecting it. She was going to have to scramble to avert further disaster.

"Are we really going bankrupt, Anna? Is that why he left?" Gwen asked timorously.

She couldn't get into the details, not now, but she couldn't disregard Gwen's concern.

"Mr. Bates' incarceration has put us under financial duress, but that is not why Richard Carlisle left and we are not going bankrupt in six months." Gwen's face did not alter after the explanation and it was essential to their success for Gwen to calm down. As little as their staff assistant knew about Sales, she was the only one with any experience in that area at all. Bates Airlift needed Gwen. Anna took the phone in her hand and started to dial. "Gwen, listen to me. Is Mr. Wiggleton still on the line?"

Gwen nodded, as Anna spoke into the phone. "Please come immediately, we have an emergency."

"He said it appeared strange to him, to receive that call out of the blue, and it would be difficult for him to leave us, since he likes Daisy, you, Alfred, Mr. Bates and me so much. He wanted to get to the bottom of it. He wanted to know if it were really true. I didn't know what to say." Gwen started to sniffle as tears pooled in her eyes. She couldn't tell who Anna had called, but Anthony popped up into the office as soon as she finished her statement.

"Anthony, what is the profitability margin, on average, for each flight?" Anna was not polite with her request. She raised her voice to get his attention.

Anthony was caught off guard, not understanding what emergency he was called for.

"It ranges from 15% to 30%. It all depends on the type of trip and distance."

Anna turned to Gwen. "Gwen. Calm down and snap out of it. This is the most defining moment of your career at Bates Airlift." Anthony's eyes bulged when he heard Anna's strong and determined tone. He'd never heard her to be anything but sweet. This was no nonsense and her words cut through like a sharp knife. Gwen looked up, startled as well. "From what you just told me, we no longer have a Sales Manager. We only have you. This is in your hands. John Bates believed in you and I believe in you." Anna reached out to touch Gwen. Enunciating every word with emphasis, she added, "Gather - yourself - now, go - back - there, and - apply - every - ounce - of - Gwen – Dawson - charm - that - you - can – muster. Your job is to revert this situation." As the courage came back into Gwen's eyes, fueled by Anna's strong words, additional advice was given. "Match the 10% discount if you must or increase it to 15%, but don't offer it immediately. We need all the revenue we can get. Explain to Mr. Wiggleton that Richard left the company because he did not agree with the new management. He is a good client. Don't over-explain, but If he asks for details, tell him about the divorce and Mr. Bates selling his part. I think, with him, we need to be upfront. He'll value that. After you've secured back his business, come back to the conference room. I suspect this is not the end of our emergency."

"Yes, Anna." Fueled with instructions and a renewed energy, Gwen went back to deal with the situation.

"Anthony, you get Sarah and your team, and I will get Vera and any spare pilots we have. Bring them to the conference room immediately. We need an emergency team meeting." She stood to leave.

"What happened to Richard?" he managed to say before she walked out the door. He'd only heard they no longer had a Sales Manager. He'd not been privy to the entire situation.

"He's now working for the Helicopters UK and attempting to steal all of our customers."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Anna was on fire. Vera came, grudgingly, as did the rest of the staff. She could tell by everybody's appearance that they were surprised to see her in such a confident state, giving orders. She didn't know where it had come from either. Even Sarah was shocked into submission.

Vera laughed, when she discovered Richard's treacherous actions. Anna speculated that she must have known what her lover was up to and that Vera was too good an actress, pretending to be surprised. If she didn't really know, then, Anna was sorry for her. If she had any love or affection for Richard at all, how sad that they seemed to have no allegiance to each other. What a sorry excuse for a relationship. In the end, she didn't really care. She only summoned Vera to this meeting because as part owner, it was her right to know. Vera distanced herself, leaving after five minutes. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. If Vera had wanted to be vindictive, she should have stayed and contradicted every order Anna gave. Vera must have thought that Anna would flounder and that by distancing herself from the meeting, she was accelerating the company's demise. How wrong she was. Without her, Anna could work freely.

"Team, we are under attack. Unfortunately, Mr. Carlisle will attempt to convert every single one of our customers to the company that now employs him."

"Can he do that?" asked Jack Ross. He and Evelyn had been detained from their daily platform run because of a low ceiling of visibility that was currently hovering above the platform they were scheduled to visit. They had been reviewing alternate flight plans, and discussing the fuel impact with William when Anna rounded them up. Tom could not come, when William called him, as they were expecting James to return with an inbound flight at any minute.

"He can leave the company, and our market based capitalist economy dictates that he can compete for our business. He cannot; however, utilize insider information to woo them. He has, unfortunately, broken the law in this respect. Confidentiality agreements between employee and company are covered under Intellectual property laws. Our solicitors, Crawley and Blake have been advised. They are preparing a cease and desist order for Helicopters UK. We will sue him and his firm before this is all done."

The candor and frankness in her voice left them all surprised.

"Now, we have a short window of time to revert the situation. Gwen is on the phone right now. She's already convinced Mr. Wiggleton to stay with us. Thanks to this loyal and important customer, we were given insight regarding the situation as soon as the attack started. She's now on the phone, preempting the loss of CONOCO EXPLORATIONS. We've not started our trips with them yet, but, they represent the biggest contract we have. Richard knows who the top guns are. He'll be going for the big fish. When she's finished with Vinoth Patel, she'll talk to Dennis Humboldt of ENERGYBURST. We need to retain all of our customers, but these two and Henri Leplat of PERENCO, if we can keep them, we'll be able to continue operating. If we lose any of these three, we'll be in a difficult situation."

"What can we do to help?" asked a concerned Phyllis.

"Anthony, we'll need a profitability report by customer. We'll need to call them in order of importance. Gwen can't possibly call every customer herself. She'll take the top customers and Phyllis, and I, will take the rest. You go back to the phone Sarah and do not allow any cancellations. Anybody that calls in with one, ask them why and we'll triage them case by case."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. Sarah was sour, and a friend of Vera and Thomas', but her bank statements revealed that she lived paycheck to paycheck. With a fear of losing her job, she might be inclined to help and Anna knew she needed all the resources within the company to pitch in.

Thomas asked, "What about me?" He didn't look too concerned, but he was there and offering help. She would never put him anywhere near the phones, not when she knew he was at the root of Mr. Bates' problems and still a strong ally to Vera.

"Help Anthony put together the customer profitability report." He would be safer under the supervision of someone else.

Gwen burst in, just at that moment. "I've spoken to Vinoth Patel. He confirms that Richard was trying to reach him, but he was in a meeting and couldn't take the call." She breathed out loud, agitated from running to the conference room. "He says he understands and that he will not make any rash decisions. He will need to review our position again, to determine if we are still on track for a winter launch on our contract." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good job Gwen. That's two down. What do you need? What can we help you with?"

The redhead put her hands on her head to think. "I need copies of the contracts. I don't have all of them. It would help if I could read them before I started the calls."

Anna turned to the remaining team members – Evelyn, Jack and William.

"Well, judging by the meteorology maps, I'm not going anywhere within the next couple of hours. Show me what to do and I'll help you." Jack was up and following Gwen out the door to Richard's office where she had set up camp.

Evelyn smiled, "You know, there is a fair share of family acquaintances on our customer list. I can call some of them and make your and Phyllis' job easier." He tilted his head, hoping Anna would accept his offer to help.

"Bless you. That would lessen the burden," she responded gratefully. He left with a spring in his step, eager to do his part.

"That just leaves me Anna. What would you have me and Tom do?"

She wanted them to have a part in this too, but what could they help with? Neither of the men had much experience with the actual customers beyond greeting them and providing occasional safety instructions. They weren't well versed on the administrative side of the business either. After a minute of thinking, she had an idea.

"This is an emergency situation and we'll be working late and through lunch. You'll be in charge of team comfort. After you've dealt with the arrivals and departures of our scheduled flights, can you always make sure there is enough coffee and tea for everyone? Bring it to them directly, offer any amenities needed? I don't want anybody wanting for lack of food or beverage. Take my credit card. Order food. Lots of it… I don't care what or where from. Just make sure everybody is taken care of."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

What a nightmare Thursday and Friday had been. Anna owed the retention of 90% of their accounts to the hard work of the staff. When they could afford it, she would suggest they be compensated with a moderate bonus. Everybody who could manage it, agreed to work late, which really meant that only Vera and Thomas had gone home. Some of the pilots didn't stay either, not knowing how to help, but they all came and offered suggestions and advice. Nobody knew the clients better than they did and some of their contributions were helpful. What surprised Anna the most was that Sarah stayed and she even worked without complaining.

When Robert was sure he had adequate cover at the pub, he came too. Nobody would believe that as the owner, he wouldn't come at the sign of the first crisis and he did, but he allowed Anna to make the decisions. As far as he could tell, she was doing superbly. She commanded the team well and they were responding to her leadership.

It had been an intense week, more than she could have ever imagined. Many extra hours were employed to keep everything running smoothly. While that was definitely a win for her managerial role, it was a most definite loss as a private investigator. She attempted to review the case files at night, but she could not accomplish much and she felt defeated. On Thursday, Joe had sent over the lists of funds managed by Eagle investments and she'd fallen asleep with the information surrounding her.

Matthew had called her on Friday morning and had urged her to give up the investigation. He could utilize the firm's resources to continue where she left off. He didn't say this to spite her, she knew that much, he was as concerned with her mental wellbeing at having such a load on her shoulders as he was with getting John out of jail. He explained that it was not a defeat, that neither of them anticipated that her partnership offering would come to this. She begged him to give her the weekend, that if she couldn't make heads or tails with the information, she would be the first to ask for the help. He grudgingly agreed, even though she knew he wished for a different outcome. After the weekend, they only had one more week to prepare. Time for John was running out.

That same evening, after another long day at work, she messaged incognitohelper. She didn't know why. Well, she did. It was her desperation speaking. Maybe her troll had new information that could help. Her tweeter had been silent too, leading Anna to wonder. Everybody in the office had been so busy lately; could it really be somebody from within? Somebody who had just as little time as she did?

She tweeted, ** incognitohelper I went back to work. I've been busy. Anything new?**

She took the case files Joe had sent, ready to take a crack at them again when she received a response. This person was nothing, if not fast. They must have their phone attached to their hip.

** eyeinthesky I have been busy too. If you concentrate on TB, you will have all your answers. Time is running out. Complete the network path.**

That wasn't too helpful, she thought, but what could she expect from a troll? Certainly not detailed instructions or a roadmap. She sighed. She was being unfair. Joe had mentioned that receiving a partial network map had reduced his work time. It appeared to be legitimate, when he'd audited what he had received and he was now working feverishly on the missing network links. When she spoke to him last on Wednesday, he confirmed that he'd added one more network connection to the IP map and that his logarithm had picked up speed after some adjustments. He said he was close to breaking the password of the tweeter's account and that maybe even by this weekend he would know the identity. He also mentioned that he had found a bank account in Switzerland under Thomas' name, but the funds in that account were meager. There was a paltry $3,000 Swiss francs in it. It wasn't the kind of money they were expecting him to have. Anna urged him to look for an account in other countries that were considered tax shelters. Anna offered Grand Cayman as an option, as it too was known to have a highly developed international banking scheme. He scoffed, adding that it had the reputation, but it was not the most secretive country. He muttered something about Vanuatu and Brunei, but by then, she couldn't concentrate and was falling asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Today was Saturday and she had a full day planned. It would start with a visit to see her man. She was so excited, she couldn't contain her nerves. Matthew had not been pleased when he discovered her covert visit, the first time she'd seen him, and neither was he happy to know that Anthony had been let into her secret when she'd visited a second time. She just pursed her lip, never intending to apologize for doing what she thought needed to done. Thankfully, the fact that she was the General Manager of Bates Airlift now, and the fact that they'd explained that Mr. Bates would be hired on as a consultant, was the perfect ruse for them to see each other. Nobody could question these motives in court if anybody suspected a relationship between them, and the prior two times could be alleged as preparatory meetings for the partnership transfer. This meant that they could see each other on a continual basis. To say that she was happy was an understatement. She was full of joy, giddiness seeping through every pore.

Dressing smarter this time, she hoped he wouldn't remember the ratty clothes she'd donned the last visit. Her hair was loose and perfectly coiffed, and her make-up was natural, but beautiful. She had found an empty table, the room somewhat full of other prisoners with their visitors. It was in a corner, far from the guard's observation post. She sat and waited, tapping the table incessantly with her fingers until she heard his voice from behind.

"Hello beautiful," was what he said and she melted. They were just two words, but his sexy voice, with just a hint of Irish intonation, had her fighting to control the warm feeling that invaded her body. Her arousal was instantaneous. Oh God, she thought. How am I not able to touch him?

She stood. "Hello" was her meager response, but John looked into her eyes and could see that she was affected.

"I've missed you," she added with sincerity.

"Not as much as I missed you," he responded and they both smiled as they took their seats.

They grinned for another few seconds, bashfully. It was a moment they both wanted, to see each other, but now that it was here, they knew not how to start a conversation. It was a different sensation, this one, of being allowed to be in each other's presence and not feel guilty.

"The stubble look suits you," Anna finally started. His scraggly beard was very becoming.

He instinctively rubbed his chin with his hand. His expression was of disbelief. "Well, I am glad you like it. It's a look I'll be sporting quite often, as we're only allowed a shave, once a week." Since his arrival at Whetherby, his grooming had improved, now being allowed to shower every day. He still lacked confidence in his appearance, as he could not maintain the same rituals, or the use of his preferred products. Anna's appreciation made him feel better about himself.

"Well, I do. You are handsome either way, but I like this gruff, manly look too." She could tell she convinced him, as there was a tiny sparkle that was added to his smile.

No sooner had she noticed that sparkle, when she felt a jolt at her feet. His gaze upon her also changed. There was mischief and desire in his eyes. His leg was brushed up against hers and the realization that he was doing this on purpose, dawned on her. They couldn't touch, but the guard station's inhabitants could not see under the table, with them positioned in the farthest corner, and he was taking advantage of that.

"Mr. Bates, how devious of you," she whispered. She managed to slightly part her legs, so that his other leg could rest between hers, and all four of their legs were intertwined. This was done, slowly, so as not to arouse any attention to them. Already feeling warm since her arrival, the sensation of touching each other, even through their clothing, felt wonderful.

"Let's play a game, Anna." John smirked and Anna wondered what this game was about. Touching each other was already a high risk endeavor.

"A game? Here?" she asked with a giggle in her voice. "What type of game?"

"We have so much to talk about, but please indulge me for just a moment." He nodded, his head waiting for her acceptance before proceeding. "You'll like it."

How could she refuse such a face? "Anything for you, love," she responded and waited for instructions.

"Close your eyes. I will close my eyes too. Lean in just a little, as I don't want others to hear."

She did as he asked, and moved forward.

"We're alone, together, back at Galloway. You've laid out the blanket, under the night sky, like the first time we were there." He paused for a second. "Are you there, love? Can you see it?"

He waited for Anna to respond.

"I can see it," she responded. He didn't give her further instructions, but she provided additional imagery herself. "There are a million stars, just as beautiful as the first time."

"Good, Good," he added. What he said next surprised Anna, but she didn't open her eyes. "Keep your eyes closed no matter what." He took advantage of the moment to rub his leg against hers and that feeling was heightened by her eyes being closed. "We are lying on the blanket, very close together. The mood is romantic, and I cannot resist your ethereal beauty. You are mesmerizing me and I shift to lean over you. You look into my eyes and our lips meet."

He breathed in, emphasizing his next question. "Can you feel them? My lips on yours? Can you feel how much I love you?"

Anna felt a shiver, just then. She could feel him just as he described the scene. The feeling was overwhelming her now. She wanted to scream.

Mr. Bates continued. "Your mouth is open and inviting. You taste as sweet as nectar to me. Propped up by one elbow, I am able to run my hand across your cheek and on occasion through your hair. Your golden mane is wonderful to my touch and I cannot get enough of it. I continue to kiss you as I stroke it and feel the silk strands fall across my fingers. You're lovely Anna and I can't get enough of you."

Oh God, thought Anna. This delicious torture was more than a game. He intended to seduce her, right here in the dingy prison visitation room. They could not touch with their hands, could not do what he was walking them through, but it wasn't necessary and he was doing a damn good job of his descriptions. So far, he'd only kissed her, but she was feeling a longing in the pit of her stomach. He was keening her need for him. It was unfair and wonderful at the same time. If that was what he wanted to do, virtual reenactment, she could play the game too. She would give him the same sensations.

"Your kiss feels wonderful, Mr. Bates. Your lips scorch me. As you massage my scalp and play with my hair, my hands are busy with your shirt. It's cool out, but we can't feel it. We are radiating heat, intense, passionate heat." Mimicking his actions of a moment earlier, and gaining benefit from her shorter legs, she dropped her shoe and reached as high as the limited space under the table allowed. Her toes reached the inside of his thighs, at mid-level. She rubbed him there and his audible reaction to her touch spurred her on. "You make me hot and I need to touch you. I reciprocate with my lips and tongue and I can tell our blanket tryst has moved away from being an innocent interlude. I've managed to open the first few buttons and your chest is opened to me. My fingers graze what is revealed and you shudder under my touch. I pull away from your ardent mouth, desperate to run my lips across the open expanse….and when I do… touch your chest….. I can feel you react beneath me. You write with pleasure and moan as I continue making my way down."

Anna was feeling wet. She was talking about what she would do to him, but she felt the reaction keenly on herself. She removed her leg, settling it to the original placement between his own big ones. Before she could say anything else, Mr. Bates took over.

"Your lips are heaven Anna. They burn my skin, everywhere they touch, and I cannot get enough of you. While you are busy with this, my hands surround you and they move upwards, underneath your jumper and shirt. You are warm, the heat of our encounter making our clothing unnecessary. I push your shirt upwards as I find the clasp of your bra. The position you are in, it's left your neck exposed, and as I unhook your bra and start to massage your breasts, I start to kiss your neck. You are moaning Anna, I can hear you and as I touch you, you begin to breath raggedly."

John was excited this was working, and was not really aware of himself. Her words did have an effect on him, more than he thought was possible. He felt himself get hard, and that was when he realized his mistake. He wouldn't be able to leave the room without embarrassing himself, or without waiting for the reaction to subside. They didn't have forever. They didn't usually have a time limit, but, this being a Saturday, visitation was popular for families. He cheated and opened his eyes briefly and he was so glad he did, as he was gifted the most beautiful sight. Anna still had her eyes closed, and her grin was that of someone experiencing the throes of passion. She was so receptive to this virtual experience in public. God, how could he have gotten so lucky?

He snapped out of his own passionate feelings when he noticed an inmate eyeing them. He was so close to making noises himself, the way she was making him feel, and thus, he could imagine that she might be close enough herself. He worried that she might actually moan and he wouldn't want her tainted, mentioned by other inmates who were currently in the room with them. The thought of Sally's faux orgasm, in a New York diner, from the movie 'When Sally Met Harry' filled his mind. God he wished they could do that and that it were for real, but for now, he would end it.

"Anna, my love, being with you is amazing, and sharing in these pleasures with you would bring me no greater happiness." He paused when he realized his words were causing him to become emotional. He almost choked on his words, but after a second, he spoke with more conviction. "Anna, darling, open your eyes. I love you so much."

He didn't know where it came from and it was certainly not the most appropriate reaction in a prison, but a tear burst forth and slipped down his cheek. He witnessed Anna open her eye and become as emotional as he was. The reality surrounding their situation hit her hard. She matched his tear with one of her own, and then exceeded his, as several escaped down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry darling. I didn't think we would get like this." He looked down, sorrow for making her sad, gnawing at his insides.

"Don't be sorry love," she added with fervor. "That was amazing, and incredible. I love you so much too."

He looked up and they both shared another grin as they both rubbed their eyes to shoo the tears away.

"I'm afraid I made the situation bad for myself," he added. "I cannot possibly stand up or move away from here." When Anna didn't catch on, he tilted his head in a downward motion. "My friend is excited to see you. We are going to need to coax him into going away."

Anna finally understood, and her immediate reaction was to laugh. She was loud and she was having fun. "My Lord, Mr. Bates…..how unfortunate." She continued to chuckle, and her enthusiasm was infectious. Mr. Bates had no alternative but to join her. She tried to stop, but couldn't. It was just too funny.

"Prisoner Bates and visitor, please keep quiet," boomed the microphone above them.

They toned down the laughter, but the tears flowed freely now. They were generated by their good mood, and by the amount of fun they were having. Who would have thought it was possible to laugh and enjoy themselves in a prison visitation room?

"I'll have to say something to make it go away," she added. "We've had such an eventful week on the compound that I am sure I can find the right words to make it happen."

"Alright Love, as much as I hate to turn our conversation into serious matters, I feel we must move ahead. We've not got much time left. In no time at all, they'll be giving us a five minute warning."

Anna knew just the thing to make his blood boil. "Richard Carlisle."

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John had received a visit from Robert the day before and he was aware of just what an excellent job Anna was doing. Robert had communicated with him about Richard's exploits and Anna was right. The mention of this man did the trick. She saw his mood change rather quickly as he tried to contain his blood from boiling.

"I hear you did an amazing job, saving the situation. Rob tells me that you led the team brilliantly and the result was better than expected. Thank you." His words were sincere.

Part of her was relieved that John already knew, but she was slightly annoyed at Rob for stealing her thunder. She'd wanted to explain the situation her way, not making her sound like the knight in shining armor that had come to rescue them all. Still, knowing that Rob had given such a glowing review and that John was calm, given what could have happened, she allowed herself to bask in his praises.

Her skin flushed and she smiled bashfully. "Thank you. It was all down to Gwen, though. She saved the most important accounts. You were right about her."

She explained the entirety of the situation and breathed a sigh of relief when he agreed with her course of action. Gwen should be promoted immediately to Sales Representative, and that they needed to find a new administrative assistant. Anna confirmed that Edith had agreed to come in as a temporary worker, given that she was still out of school, and working evenings at the pub. She could manage to work several hours during the day, and Cora would be helping Robert as well to compensate for her absence. All of the Crawley sisters were willing to pitch in, and the family agreed Edith might be the best choice among them. She was studying journalism and it would do her good to hone her administrative skills. Sybil was doing work experience at the local hospital with a very inconsistent shift and Mary was spending more and more time at Highclere. He liked the idea, knowing that Edith was a steady girl. She was prone to emotion and melodrama some times, but she was smart. He also urged her to seek Daphne's help in finding a replacement. She hadn't thought of that before, and it made sense. Daphne had candidates in need of a new opportunity and they needed somebody. It might work out.

"Anna," John asked with a curious voice, heralding the start of a more serious topic.

"Yes," she answered carefully.

"With what's happened to Richard and that we've already discovered him to be the lover, I don't think there is any reason for you to wait any longer in accusing him. Think about it."

Anna breathed slowly as she reflected. Could she? What was stopping her now? Her prior reason, not wanting to botch the investigation, no longer existed. She was now the General Manager of Bates Airlift. Her association with Carson's Private Investigators, when discovered, could pose less of a risk to Mr. Bates while he was in jail. Richard was now at Helicopters UK. Gwen had asserted herself as the responsible party for Sales at Bates Airlift. There was more of an impact at the other company than with theirs, even if it would make her notorious. She'd have to think about it for a couple of days. She still needed to work on John's evidence and manage the company. Coping with the rigors of a Police investigation might be too much to handle with everything else she was doing.

"I'll think about it. I promise."

"Bates party. Five minutes," boomed the microphone.

They shared a look of desperation, knowing that their time was going to be up. It prompted her to enquire regarding the status of his 'friend'. John responded that mentioning Richard had indeed done the trick and there was no longer any concern. They filled their last five minutes amid words of hope and perseverance.

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Anna punched the code to access the office and as she did, she took note to have the security of the offices reset. She knew too well, having breached the compound in an unauthorized fashion herself, that anybody who wanted to, could pose harm to the company. She thought specifically of Richard, who'd left several of his items in his office, having stormed out without a thought to his belongings. She'd do it today if she could, but this was a Saturday and the security system's vendor charged double for service calls on weekends. She would manage it on Monday.

Tom was there today, fiddling with the choppers. She didn't see his car, but she knew he was on the premises. They normally worked Monday to Friday, as the majority of their Executive clients and the platform operators preferred a standard weekday operation. Yet, every now and then, they booked a non-standard trip and both a pilot and a mechanic were assigned to the day operation. James was scheduled to fly the seven members of a wedding party on to the top of Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, as the bride and groom, mountain enthusiasts, hiked up the hillside in full wedding regalia to join the minister and their witnesses on the plateau. The other members of the party were not sport enthusiasts and they were to be flown in, including a few decorations. It was rather sweet, thought Anna, when she heard of this creative and rustic venue. She and Tom chatted for a few minutes, learning that he had decided to ride his bicycle to work, on account of his training for a charity ride in the coming months. He'd hidden it out of sight, not having remembered to bring his bicycle lock. After reviewing some maintenance issues, she went back to the office to work.

She was here to catch up on a few emails, but mainly, away from prying eyes, she wanted to go through Thomas' desk and belonging and perhaps audit his work files. The fact that he had paid off his car and flat so fast, without a trace of an additional revenue source did not sit well with her. It would make her feel more at ease if she could confirm that his worry-free lifestyle was not being subsidized by their revenue. She'd have to work discreetly, since Tom could walk in at any moment. James wasn't due back for another two hours either, but knowing that he was in a physical relationship with Thomas meant that she also had to be on her guard.

Anna was no auditor, but she thought the best way to start was by tracking a couple of invoices from start to finish. Having worked a week with both Phyllis and Thomas during her rotation was extremely helpful, since she knew exactly where the files and documents were kept. Phyllis was in charge of creating the invoices for the customers, and did so every month, keeping a paper copy which she later stored. As far as Anna remembered from her time with the woman, she had 5 years of storage boxes stored in the cupboards beside her desk, and everything else in a little room next to the maintenance hangar where they kept all sorts of files, training and maintenance records, among other documents. At random, she opened a box of Phyllis' invoice copies and pulled out a sheet of paper. She opened a box further back in Phyllis' cupboard and sourced a second document.

Let's see. The first invoice was from two years ago and it was from small account, based out of Sheffield. It was an Executive service from Sheffield to Liverpool, and they had charged 400 pounds for five occupants. The second document was for a service from one of their top clients, PERENCO, from last year, for 7 platform runs in the month of May. This invoice was for the more substantial amount of slightly less than 62,000 pounds. These examples were as good as any. She made photocopies, noticing that this particular copier was running out of ink. The quality of the reproductions could have been better, but they would do. The original documents were replaced in their appropriate boxes and the boxes stored where they were found. She then took them to her office to investigate further.

Once the invoice was sent to the customer, Thomas tracked the bill to make sure they had been paid, and he made sure the payment was either bank wire transfer or a check that they received in the mail. He had access to the account and would reconcile all of the bank deposits.

Now, as General Manager, Anna also had access to those accounts. This would be her first time logging in, having received the credentials the afternoon before. Even though transactions were forbidden because of the freeze, she could still access the records. She was very pleased to see that she could generate historical reports for transactions for several years. That could come in handy. She looked up the first account, for the smaller amount, and after minimal searching, the amount matched, as did the invoice number that was referenced in the information section. The second search took a little longer. After a few minutes, she found the corresponding deposit, but the amount did not match entirely. She was able to find it because the invoice number was referenced in the notes, but the amount was off by small amount. The numbers, it seemed, had been transposed. It should have been $61,977 and they deposited $61,799. It was an odd mistake, and a deficit of $178 pounds. That was most intriguing. She guessed the protocol, when one received less money for payment from a company, was that the difference was billed in the next month. Wanting to make sure that this was what happened, Anna went back to the box to find the invoices for the three months after. Thomas would have to alert Phyllis to include that amount in the invoice, but as Anna perused the additional months for PERENCO, she could see that this had not been done. She made photocopies again, just for her reference and went back to her office.

Was this a find? The proverbial needle in a haystack? Anna couldn't be sure. Just to ease her mind, she reviewed the additional copied invoices against the bank accounts and was relieved to discover that those matched perfectly. She tapped her fingers against her desk. Was this just a careless mistake that Thomas did not follow up on, or did it have real relevance? She picked up the copy of the invoice to go over the document again and something caught her attention. The copier was running out of ink, and it had produced interesting striations that were more pronounced with every document that was copied. This last version reminded her of something. It had been a while since she thought back about the warning letters Mr. Bates had received. He'd received one before she came to work for him, then, he had received another after she'd been hired. If she remembered correctly, the first iteration, the one sent almost a year before, had similar poor quality. Anna pulled out her mobile phone to access her dropbox account. She had the document scanned and uploaded, as she did almost all the other pieces of evidence. Her mind was always working, always wanting to find links and connections between documents. She never knew when she would need to access them or when inspiration would strike. The file was found and she immediately compared the two. They were near identical, the misprinted areas generated by the low toner ink cartridge. Jumping to conclusions wouldn't help, but she strongly suspected that the warning letter was printed to the same machine.

A warm tingly sensation came over her. Pops and Elsie would ask her about the relevance of this finding. Unless she employed an electrostatic detection device, which Carson Investigators did not own, she couldn't be certain. That machine, similar to what ballistics technology does for firearms, could pinpoint whether a specific machine was the one to print or copy a document. It wouldn't solve the case, but knowing that the warning letters potentially came from the printer/copier in the Accounting enclosure would mean that she could narrow down who might have wanted to warn Mr. Bates. If the tweeter troll was also from inside, it could very well be the same person.

Just to be sure, she finagled with the copier until she could extract the cartridge. There were three copy/printers for public use, besides the one in Mr. Bates, now Vera's office. Out of the remaining two, the one in the crew room was the same model as the one in accounting, while the one used by the rest of the Managers, Gwen and Sarah was slightly different and the cartridge would not be compatible. She diligently installed the new 'old' cartridge and copied another sheet of paper she found lying around. The low ink was also visible on this printed copy, but the pattern was different. She printed a third random sheet and the pattern was similar to the copy that had been printed before it, but still different than the pattern on the warning letter/invoice copy combination. This led her to believe, without a doubt, that the document came from the Accounting printer.

Anybody could have used the printer, however, most people are creatures of habit and she didn't believe the person who sent the warning would have gone out of their way to print elsewhere. The average person was not aware of printer/copier striations and it was not likely that the perpetrator would have been in the select group that did know. Anna sighed as she came to a conclusion. She would never believe that Thomas would want to warn Mr. Bates about any treachery he was setting up, and that belief easily eliminated him. That left Anthony and Phyllis. Anthony was kind, if a bit absent-minded, and he seemed to be naïve in certain things, as proved by his recent gullibility with Edna. If he did know anything about the whole embezzlement scheme, his role as Manager would have made it imperious to relay it to Mr. Bates. That left only Phyllis. Could it really be the mild-mannered, socially awkward employee? Anna wondered. She was smart, quick-thinking, and efficient, but had not demonstrated any defining tech savvy expertise. Not at the level she would need to be at to breach Joe's own security and deposit the network map, and not at the level to have an encrypted password that their own expert could not hack. The fact that the investigation into her past yielded no information, that a web search returned almost no cyber footprint, made it possible in Anna's mind. What if she were at the same, or a superior level to Joe? Then it would make sense that she could erase everything on the web about herself. But why? IF she had those skills, why was she working at Bates Airlift? And if she did know what was going on, why, if she were as loyal to Mr. Bates as she apparently was, go through the charade? Regardless of the answers to those questions, Phyllis was now her prime suspect for informant/tweeter.

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(TRIGGER WARNING SECTION)

"Good bye, Anna. You should go home," James offered as he came upon her office.

The rumbling helicopter had landed just a few minutes earlier and it had jolted her into an awareness of how much time had passed. It had been five hours, and besides doing her email, reading communications from the Civil Aviation Authority and trying to understand the safety declarations that she needed to send them every month, she'd done the invoice investigation and the printer comparison. It had been a full day. She was nowhere near finished, though. She still had tons of things she wanted to do, to find the evidence for Mr. Bates. It didn't matter if she was here or at home, the time spent was the same.

"I will James," she answered back. "I am almost wrapping up." He stood at the door and before he turned to leave, she wondered where Tom was. "Is Tom with you? Is he leaving also?"

"He said something about finishing the quarterly spare parts inventory. I understood he was almost finished, but wanted to get it done before leaving."

"Alright, then. Good bye."

He walked away and she returned to her files. Coincidentally, she had received James' complete information from Joe. She was reading about his background, and his expenses, when she heard the door to the compound open again, no more than ten minutes since James had left. Tom had not passed by and wouldn't have left without saying goodbye, and thus, she suspected James had come back.

"Did you forget something, James?" she called out.

There was no answer. He had to have heard her, as there was no other noise and this office was not too far from the entrance.

How odd, she thought to herself. "James, is that you?" she called out again, and stood to investigate.

A shadow loomed at the door and before she made it around her desk, she could see who it was.

"Fancy running into you here, Anna. And you're all alone….."

Richard. Fear invaded all her senses. She may have even stopped breathing. How did he get in? The code for the door - she should have had it changed earlier. Damn the crisis that averted her attention.

"You are trespassing private property. You no longer work here. Leave now," she had the clarity to say. Dread filled her as she remembered she didn't have her voice activated recorder. Working alone most of the day, she'd left it in the car, not thinking she'd need it. "And I am not alone. Tom is here too," she added.

He invited himself into her office and she didn't step back. No fear, she told herself. Let him not see how afraid you are. Weapons, she remembered. What can I use to defend myself if need be? A quick scan of her desk resulted in a heavy stapler and several pens. Damn her tidiness. Nothing there could incapacitate him if he were keen on attacking her.

"Am I unwelcome already?" He snickered. "I came to get my things." He planted a hand on his hip. "And you are alone, sweetheart. There are no cars out there but yours. You can't bullshit me."

She breathed in. Calm Anna, be calm. "Your things are boxed and on the desk of your ex-office. Take them and go," she responded firmly and with a strong voice. Lord, please let him leave. He was blocking the exit and she had no hope of getting out unless he left.

"Oh, I'll go. But not before we discuss how you ruined me." He took another step forward. "Your 'cease and desist' order? Well, my new employer didn't like it and they didn't like the lawsuit you've levied against them. They fired me on the spot, on the second day of work, no less. That, after your new employer, Robert Crawley, whom you've probably fucked to get the position of General Manager, cut me out of what was due to me. I earned that partnership. I worked for it. And now, you little whore, you are going to pay for all of them."

S-I-N-G, thought Anna. Hadn't she seen Miss Congeniality over a dozen times since that movie came out? Solar Plexus – Instep – Nose – Groin. Bless Sandra Bullock for being so funny that she remembered this little gem of advice. She wouldn't be able to deliver any blow at all from the position she was in. She'd have to get closer, not wait for him to charge her. She would have to get him to keep talking, to distract him until she could act.

She took a step forward and willed her inner Rita Hayworth to shine forth. Sultry and secure, Anna, she told herself. You'll only get one chance.

"Richard, I am so sorry. You are right. The lawsuit was excessive. I shouldn't have gone that route, but, Robert insisted. He's the one who cut you out. I had nothing to do with it." She took yet another step forward. She had him at arm's length. "We were supposed to get together, weren't we?" She forced down the bile that came up when she spoke those words.

The shape his eyes took indicated that her actions were not expected. He hesitated to answer as he tried to determine if her eagerness was legitimate. "We were, but you avoided me when you had the chance," he muttered.

"I couldn't very well approach you, now could I? What about Vera? It was obvious you were with her."

He rolled his eyes.

"That witch? She only needed me to get back at her husband and I let her. She's a good shag, but nothing more."

"Well then, there's no reason to delay us, is there?" The ruse was complete, as Anna touched his arm. Now, Anna, hit him now. This distracted him enough for her to swerve like Gracie Lou Freebush did in the film. She veered slowly, and with all her might, she recoiled and dug her elbow into his torso. It couldn't have been that hard, what with her petite stature, but he clutched his chest, and she took the opportunity to step forcibly on his foot. Without thinking further, as he was bending, she elbowed his groin. She had skipped a step, forgetting his nose. He fell to the floor in agony. She didn't bother with his nose anymore, as the way he fell, left her enough space so that she could run through.

She squeezed by him and ducked when he reacted to her movement. "You bitch, come back here," he yelled. He grazed her wrist as he reached out, but just barely. Anna had never won any sports medals, she wasn't an athlete, but she ran as fast as her short legs could carry her. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing any of her signature heels. Her best opportunity was to head towards the maintenance bay, where Tom, still working, could aid her. If she ran for the entrance, he could catch up and there was nowhere to go. She didn't even have her car keys on her.

Unfortunately, she could tell that Richard was getting up and starting to follow her. Her attack had only subdued him momentarily. Maybe if she'd hit his nose too, she could have bought more time. She was still ahead of him, though, and she managed to make it to the crew room. She reached for the door and because of her nerves; she couldn't manage it on the first try. It stalled. "Open, dammit", she yelled, and as she did, the door latch released. Richard was right behind her. She wouldn't make it to the hangar. Not even across the threshold. "Heeeeeelp," she yelled, and she managed it again, "Help!" before she felt her head being yanked back. He'd gotten ahold of her hair, and dragged her back in. The pain from the force was overwhelming.

"You bloody whore. Nobody can hear you. And now you are going to get it."

She didn't see his fist until it reached her face and she felt her eye would explode from the impact. The force of his strike threw her to the ground. She fell to the floor without any support, head first. Although the area had a carpet, there was hardly any cushioning. Her skull impacted and a dull thud ensued. Then it happened again. Another blow caught her lip. He was hitting her and she couldn't react. She had lost all power, had angered him even more. Had Tom even heard her? Would her voice have carried across the tarmac to the maintenance bay? Into the spare parts room where he was likely focused on finishing his job? She thrashed her arms and legs, but it was no use. He was too strong, too large. Pops would be angry. He told her to be careful and she had failed. Elsie would cry. Hug her and cry. His hands, they were on her. He was pulling her shirt open. She felt numb. John, would he still love her, after Richard was finished with her?

She felt like she was fading out, losing consciousness when she heard a woman's voice.

"Leave her alone, you animal." Things were being tossed. Something fell next to her head. There was yelling. The door opened. Everything went black.

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**A/N: Anna will be fine and piece of shit Richard will get his comeuppance. I debated a lot on how to write this scene. I am so against 4X03 and the stupid Mr. Greene murder arc, that I would never want to recreate it. My hands took over and we ended up with this. If I owned DA, 4X03 would have had John beating the crap out of Green and rescuing his lovely wife in time.**

**I admit this was a hard chapter to write. Getting into mood for every section was challenging - Badass-at-work Anna, then Prison love, followed by Anna at the office again. The invoice stuff is tedious, I know… but, it holds the key to what is going on. Then Richard… Oh, my… The next chapters are easier to read. I promise!**

**Thank you for your wonderful support of this story. I was giddy last chapter when I reached 200 reviews. I appreciate every word, and love to read the guesses regarding the direction of the next chapters. I apologize for not responding, but I will try harder in the future.**


	22. Bedside Manner

**This is another very Anna-centric chapter. She is getting to the bottom of the investigation, so there is much detail about what is going on. Hopefully, you won't find it too tedious... Words12K**

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The forest surrounding Highclere stretched out for several kilometers. Her green dress billowed around her and her blonde hair blew in the wind as she kept on her course. She'd already walked and run through most of the green tree expanse, searching for her knight in shining armor. She could see him, but she could never catch up. As soon as he was close enough, she'd blink and he would be out of her reach. "Sir Gallant," she would yell out. "Sir Gallant, why have you left me?"

The fog rolled in around her. She could hear laughing. Where was she and why was she so miserable?

"Anna." The sweet voice called out her name. "Anna." It sounded familiar, but not familiar enough to recognize. It was not Sir Gallant and she felt a pang of disappointment. Lamentably, if she wanted to know who it was, she would have to open her eyes. She did, one eye first, and then the other. Oh, she could hardly see, blinded at first by the light. Her immediate reaction was to close them again, but the voice persisted and she had to know who it was.

"Mrs. Carson, come quick. She's opening her eyes."

"Anna, darling. I'm here." She felt her hand being jostled, and then the immediate warmth of her hand being held. That voice she knew. It was her Godmother.

She opened them again, slowly, adjusting to the light in small increments. A young beautiful nurse stood next to Elsie. Who was that? She recognized the face.

"Anna, I am so happy you are awake. I'll go tell the head sister." Ah…. a faint realization hit her. Mary's little sister? Sybil. She was studying nursing. That was who she saw. My… how she'd grown and how beautiful she was, even with that horrendous uniform.

"My girl. How are you?" Elsie's voice was almost broken and when Anna focused again, she could see tears. Why tears? Where was she?

"Where am I?" Anna asked, although she was certain this must be a hospital if she was in bed and Sybil was looking after her. The headache she had must be the reason. She felt her head throbbing and pain in her eye was also making itself known.

"You're at Ripon Community Hospital. Pops is out in the waiting room. I had to kick him out, as he was so nervous, constantly dropping things and banging into your bed. He's sitting out there with Mary, Matthew, two nice folks from your office and the Detective who is waiting to interview you."

It didn't make sense at all. The last thing she remembered was working on Jimmy Kent's file when the door to the office was opened. Oh God, she had so many things to do for John. She needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

"But why, Elsie? Why am I here?"

"Oh, Lord… Dr. Clarkson said this might happen, that your concussion might bring about some temporary amnesia."

Amnesia? Her? Elsie was still holding her hand. And Dr. Clarkson? Wasn't that Matthew's step-father? He'd mentioned him before.

"You were at the office and Richard Carlisle attacked you."

The mention of his name sent shivers down her spine. That swine. Attacked? She couldn't breathe. The oxygen was leaving her lungs. She struggled, almost hyperventilating. Why couldn't she remember? What had he done to her? She could feel the pain in her head, and her elbow hurt too, but, she felt fine elsewhere. Had he done the unthinkable? If he had, wouldn't it hurt down there? She felt nothing.

Elsie perceived Anna's emotionality when her girl squeezed their intertwined hands tighter. She could see the unspoken fear in her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her further.

"You are injured, darling. He hurt you, but he did not defile you. Your coworkers, they didn't allow it."

Oh Thank God. Saved. She wanted to know everything that had happened.

"Who saved me? Only Tom was still there." She remembered James leaving, then a shadow. Wait….Richard was there. She could see him in her office.

"Yes, Tom. He tackled the man and kept him restrained until the police arrived."

A flash of jumbled thoughts came to Anna. Having Elsie mention it jogged her memory. She hit him, and then she was running. She yelled for help. Her hair was pulled, and then she took a blow to the face. Her head hit the ground as she fell. Before she lost consciousness, she heard a woman.

"I remember some of it now, Elsie. There was a woman there, but I didn't see her."

"Yes, darling. It was Phyllis. She saved you."

The doors to the room were opened as Sybil returned with several people in tow. The man that Anna supposed was the doctor, pushed in and reached her bedside. Elsie prudently stepped away.

"I'm Dr. Clarkson, Anna. How do you feel?" he asked as he shined her pupils with a flashlight. She wanted to answer, but the suddenness of the light, both blinded her and hurt her. Recoiling instantly, she waited until he turned it off.

"My head hurts," she answered as he continued to pinch and prod her. "My arm hurts too." She realized that the soreness probably came from hitting him. She stretched her arm and felt a sting at her elbow. Wow, she thought to herself. In the adrenaline of the moment, she hadn't even felt the hurt.

"That's to be expected. You hit your head and have a mild concussion. We did a CT scan when you were brought in, and thankfully, you have no swelling, and no lesions." Anna could hear Elsie sigh with relief and it mirrored her own feelings. She had a lot to do and she couldn't be saddled with a real injury.

"Can, I leave then?" She attempted to sit up, but was overcome with dizziness. Grudgingly, she lay back down.

"Not today. We will keep you overnight to monitor your progress. It's late anyway."

He muttered something else about what could be expected and interacted with Elsie regarding the brief amnesia. She tuned them out, as she could only think about the amount of things she still wanted to accomplish. If she couldn't leave here, she'd have to get creative in terms of her work. She just didn't have the time to rest. John's trial was this week. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was 9pm. It had been close to 4pm when James left. She'd been asleep five hours. Five hours that she'd lost, more like it.

"Anna, there is a detective who wants to speak to you. Do you feel well enough to meet with him?" Dr. Clarkson asked with trepidation.

"Yes," she answered with conviction. "I want to get this over with and Richard Carlisle dealt with. Bring him in."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pops had come in first, and he fussed over her. They'd both shed a tear. He felt responsible for introducing her into this line of work, but she wouldn't have it. This didn't happen because she was a private investigator, it happened because Richard Carlisle was an arse. He went on and on about her no longer working in investigations and she let him get those feeling off his chest. He held his tongue in regards to Mr. Bates, but Anna could tell he had cut himself off from saying anything nasty. When he had finished posturing, she sat up slowly and gave him a big kiss to his temple. That effectively quieted him.

The business with Inspector Vyner had been peculiar, to say the least. Since Matthew was still in the waiting room with Mary, Anna asked for him to be present too. Although he wasn't family, Dr. Clarkson allowed it under the circumstances. The man's line of questioning gave her the impression that he didn't believe how things had happened. Apparently, he'd spoken to Richard first. Being as charming and well-spoken as their ex-Sales Manager was, he'd probably invented that it had been a lover's quarrel gone wrong or that they were playing rough when they were caught. The Inspector didn't say which one. Pops was outraged at his attitude and the Inspector threatened to have him removed if he didn't settle. She'd calmed Pops down with her confidence and kind words and shot down every single ludicrous assumption. She didn't back down, or flinch. She mentioned she had tapes of his sexual harassment and would provide this evidence to prove her side of the story. When the man had asked why she had tapes, Matthew told him that the question was uncalled for and reminded him that she was the victim. Anna didn't want to have to say that she carried her recorder everywhere. Having Matthew there was a godsend.

After the Inspector left, Matthew had successfully petitioned to let his girlfriend in the room. It was the first time Mary had met her Step-Father in Law. Normally, the doctor wouldn't allow it, but with Sybil, his work experience nurse's assistant adding to his stepson's pleas, Mary was allowed a brief visit. He could tell Matthew was obviously besotted with the girl and he didn't want to appear a heartless prick. Not if they could be family in the future, and Anna was in no real danger anyway.

Without much prudence, Mary gasped when she entered the room, and it generated real concern for Anna. She hadn't seen herself yet and judging by Mary's reaction, she must look frightful. She hadn't had time to think about it, but now, she insisted they hand her a mirror. Elsie gave Mary a pointed look and Mary felt horrible for her reaction. It was not what she was intending. With both women at her side, Mary handed over the compact mirror in her cosmetic pouch. Anna sighed at the reflection before her and didn't launch into hysterics. She was too practical. Her right eye socket was deeply bruised, as was the check bone underneath it. His giant fist had obviously been the culprit here. She had a busted lip and her whole mouth seemed swollen. Her neck was bruised as well and Anna couldn't remember why she would have marks there. It looked like his fingers. Had he tried to choke her? Or did it happen as he was pinning her down, tearing at her clothes?

When Anna gave back the mirror, Mary's burden was lessened. She wouldn't have forgiven herself if Anna had broken down with emotion. It wasn't that Anna was hideous, she had just been so worried and seeing her hurt made her gasp. Mary explained how as soon as the ambulance had arrived to A&E, Elsie and Pops had been contacted as Anna's next of kin. Elsie had the foresight to call her, as they rushed to the hospital themselves, and Mary appreciated it. She had spent the last several hours with Tom and Phyllis in the waiting room, meeting them there. They'd realized she was their new owner's daughter when she introduced herself and they'd exchanged details regarding what had happened. Anna would have loved to have thanked them personally, but as soon as they were aware that she had woken, they bowed out. They wouldn't have been allowed in while she was in the A&E observation unit, only staying until they could feel at ease about the whole situation. They left their best regards with Mary and promised discretion, allowing Anna to manage the situation in the office in whatever way she wanted. Anna was pleased that she had a day to think about how she would manage this news at Bates Airlift. Mary also explained that her father would have wanted to be there, but he couldn't have Mary and him leave the pub together on a Saturday night. He gave deference to Mary and promised to contact her on Sunday when she was better. All in all, it was a good visit, and as the minutes progressed, she became increasingly tired. So tired, that she didn't remember how much time passed from when they said their good-byes until she was asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was Sunday at noon and she was finally out of the hospital. She wasn't home, though. Elsie wouldn't hear any of her excuses to be in her own flat, and instead, she was picked up and brought to their flat. The guest bedroom, which used to be her room when she lived with them, was set up to receive her. While she slept, apparently, Mary and Elsie had agreed for Mary to put together a bag with her things and had it delivered in the morning. Thus, when she left, she had fresh clothing to wear. Yesterday's outfit had been taken as evidence. Thankfully, Mary also understood her need to continue working and had put together a bag with all of her documents and her laptop. She could do that quietly from her bed and not exert herself which was Elsie's main concern. She hadn't told Elsie yet, but she was going to go to the office the next day, no matter what. Mary had added several changes and one outfit in particular was decent enough to wear at work. It wasn't her normal choice for office attire, but she wouldn't get picky under the circumstance.

"How are you, doll?" Joe's concerned voice came through the mobile phone and Anna cringed. She was not his doll! Still, she remembered to be nice. No doubt he'd heard about her misfortune and was trying to be helpful. She needed as much help as she could get these days.

"Much better, Joe. Thank You. What do you have for me?"

He started laughing uncontrollably, a sign that he was mighty proud of himself.

"I've done it. I cracked the code. I can pinpoint a couple of IP addresses where your tweeter troll has used the service."

Anna's breath hitched. She hadn't said it out loud to anyone, had only just made the connections yesterday. Please let it be Phyllis, she thought to herself.

"Please Joe, don't keep me in suspense. Who is it?"

"I can't tell you who it is because this person is very smart. Not one tweet has come from a device on a mobile network. I could track that to a phone number and user. ThIs must all be on desktops or tablets on a land based network – something similar to a proxy server network like Thomas', but, I tweeted from their account today. That will get them startled." He snorted, laughing at the stunt he'd pulled.

Anna opened up her twitter account from her laptop. She accessed the page for _Seeker of Truth_ and found what Joe was talking about. The tweet was not directed at her, as most of incongnitohelper's tweets were. It was just on its own timeline, but since the account had no followers, it was bound to not get read.

**ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE. I CRACKED YOUR CODE, THE JOKE IS ON YOU.**

_Oh, Joe. How infantile._ She wished she could tell him that. He cracked the code and he was busy toying with the troll? How about giving her something she could use?

"Is there anything I can work with, Joe?" she asked as she rubbed her temple. The headache had not abated, although it had decreased. She'd already taken the Paracetamol the doctor had suggested.

"One of the tweets came from the customer courtesy network at Bates Airlift. You can use that. IF you wanted to know if the tweeter came from the compound, you would be right."

_Bingo_, thought Anna. "Can we pinpoint that to a specific computer?"

"The source information was wiped out. It could be any computer or tablet, Anna. It doesn't have to be one of the ones in the office."

With much disdain, she asked wearily, "Is there anything else?" She had hoped for more certainty.

"I think I finished mapping out how Thomas created his deception." Anna felt suddenly much better and more excited. "Somebody had to have done this for him. I've looked at all of his credentials and he is a beginner. He doesn't even encrypt his messages and his porn; he views it directly to his home IP address." Anna was impatient and Joe had a propensity to digress.

"How does it work, Joe?" She had to pay attention. When Joe got into the details of his work, it was easy to get lost.

"The log files on his computer show access to two different proxy severs besides his normal internet service. You can change what server you access by going to the LAN settings option on your browser's settings page. These bypass your normal internet servers. The first one, let's call it proxy B, has a tunnel created, from his desk, all the way to Mr. Bates' home computer. This tunnel routes from the UK, to Romania, to Estonia, to Russia, to Spain, then back again to the UK. It's quite elaborate. If he opens the online web portal of the bank, he can make as many changes as he wants and divert the cash and the IP address on the bank's servers will be those belonging to Mr. Bates, not Thomas'."

Anna's brain was having a schizophrenic moment. She wanted to both scream with excitement that Joe was able to track it, and also scream with rage at what Thomas was doing. Her brain didn't know how to react first, so, she just stayed mute.

"Are you still there, Anna?"

"Yes, just digesting it all. The second proxy, what does it do?"

"Oh, something similar, except the tunnel is set up for his office IP address. The route is diverse too, just to throw the average searcher off track. Not me, though. You could never stop me from searching. This one, believe it or not, goes from UK to Iceland, to Panama, to Argentina, and back to the UK."

Anna was thrilled. "And these log files, with the different proxy servers used; I am sure have dates and times?"

"Of, course."

Now that they knew the proxy's tunnel led to Mr. Bates' home and office, all she had to do was to tie each day it was accessed, to the date and time that a movement was made. She had every transaction from the documents Matthew had given her. If they matched, they had all but solved the case.

"You're brilliant Joe."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She had been crabby until Joe sent over the log files.

She sighed audibly. After her conversation with Joe, she went back to work. She couldn't get definite proof that it was Phyllis¸ but she didn't need it. Why was Phyllis at the compound on a Saturday afternoon? The woman had saved her from Richard, she was thankful for that, but she couldn't find a legitimate reason for her to be there. Not unless she knew something would happen.

She would take a risk and confront Phyllis, but first, she would bait her on twitter. If the troll was as good as Joe said, they would have already erased the account at the first sign of its being compromised. It hadn't been so far, and Joe's tweet was at least 12 hours old.

** incognitohelper YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AND I KNOW WHO YOU ARE**.

The response was almost immediate. Anna was no longer surprised.

** eyeinthesky ARE YOU SURE? **

The response wasn't too insightful, but she was sure, and come Monday, she would confront her.

** incognitohelper I AM SURE AND I ALSO HAVE THE PROOF OF JB INNOCENCE**.

There was no more response.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You aren't well, darling. We shouldn't be doing this." Elsie fussed, as a mother would. Anna hadn't slept all day, not since they'd arrived from the hospital and she worried. Anna was pale and the incessant rubbing of her temples indicated she didn't feel well. It had already been several hours and although she had not gotten up from bed, she had not slowed down. All Elsie could do was humor her, and as such, she was at her girl's side, as was Pops. Matthew was on loudspeaker on her IPhone.

"Are you sure it's fine, Anna? You are not too tired?" Matthew's sheepish voice came across through the phone. "Ask her how she's feeling," she heard in the background. He was with Mary.

"Yes, its fine and yes, I am tired and yes, my head still hurts, but we have less than one week and I am not going to relent on this, so, can we all please focus?" Her tone left no room for appeals and before anybody could say anything further, she continued. "Joe has the log files of Thomas' home computer with the connections he made and the maze of proxy servers he accessed to make the false transactions. I have matched every log file access on Thomas' computer to a corresponding transaction from the bank statements. You wanted proof that Mr. Bates didn't do this crime – there it is." The extra sass in her last words indicated how proud she was of this accomplishment.

"That is amazing Anna. You are on the right track." His voice lacked the emotion Anna was expecting. In fact, he was not excited at all.

Anna's quizzical face prompted Charles to ask what those with Anna were thinking. "Is it not enough?"

"You've obtained the log files illegally by hacking into his computer and putting a filter on his network. This evidence is not admissible and would be thrown out of court, not to mention putting all three of you, and Joe, in serious legal troubles." Matthew could hear what sounded like a strong word rolling from under Anna's breath. She was frustrated, no doubt. "Don't despair. We now know he is guilty and that is a breakthrough. What we need to do is find probable cause for his involvement and then we can bring him down."

Anna seemed to understand. "OK. So, we know he's the culprit, and we know how, but we can't tell the police or we'll all be in trouble, so, we have to find a reason for the coppers to be suspicious about him and when they are…." Everything was falling into place for her.

Matthew finished the sentence. "When they are, they will get a search warrant and they will take all of his equipment and discover everything you just told me."

"It's not very fair," added Elsie. Her girl had worked tirelessly to find the solution and she wouldn't even get credit.

Ever the wise soul, and rebounding quickly from her frustration, Anna commented. "I don't care if it's fair. I'm not looking for credit. I just want him out and if I have to find more evidence of Thomas' collusion, I will find it."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Let me see all of the work files that you found on Thomas' computer," demanded Anna. Through the haze of medicine and files, she remembered that before the attack, she had found the discrepancy in the deposit of the random files she selected.

"What files?" Charles was momentarily speechless. He'd been waiting on Anna hand and foot all day, making sure she had everything she needed. She'd start on several theories, then reach a dead end and request another file. Charles was doing his best to humor her, even if he resented the reason for her anxiety. There she was, battered and bruised, and John Bates was none the wiser. He had half a mind to march down to that prison and give him a piece of his mind.

Anna said something and he didn't hear well.

"Pops, are you listening?" She raised her voice an octave and that caught his attention. "You said, the other day, when we were talking about Switzerland and what you found on his computer, that he had work files. Many of them. Can I see them?"

"Ah. Of course." He had downloaded everything to an external drive and he had it within reach.

There were various file folders on the external drive. She chose one and accessed the contents. Copies of contracts were what she found. Nothing seemed important or out of place, although she wondered why he would have them. She opened the next folder and he had drafts of letters he'd written. The majority was follow-up with delinquent accounts. One or two were apologies for over charging, with credit to an account. The last file folder was interesting. There were copies of invoices, in numerical order. As she opened up the random files, they were from different customers, and they ranged from as recent as two weeks ago, to several years back. There were several hundred of them. That was odd. Thomas did not do invoicing. Phyllis did. Why would he have so many copies?

As Anna tried to connect the dots between the files, her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number but picked up anyway.

"Hello." A smile crossed her face instantaneously. "Inspector Vyner…" She was listening intently. "….of course. Yes, I'll come down. Thank You. I'll be there tomorrow."

While the conversation was taking place, Elsie came in with a tray laden with different foods for Anna. She immediately picked up on who the other party was. Pops was eager to know what was happening too. As soon as she hung up, they both pounced.

"So?"

"The files I sent, together with Tom and Phyllis' witness testimony, have convinced the police that Richard should be arraigned. Tom, Phyllis and I have to go to the station tomorrow to provide written statements."

Pops and Elsie looked at each other. Anna was incorrigible and very driven, already putting aside that momentous news in lieu of more important tasks. Not a second later, she was reading the files again, forgetting Inspector Vyner. Elsie and Pops though, had something on their mind and they wanted to get answers. Elsie took the lead. In her experience, Pops' line of questioning didn't end up sounding right.

"We didn't ask you yesterday because, well, you fell asleep right after Mary left, and this morning, you've just been such a workhorse, but, since you brought it up, I'm just going to ask."

Anna stopped what she was doing. Elsie's introduction had her curious enough.

"How on earth, is it possible for you to have taped evidence of sexual harassment from that man, and we not know about it?" Elsie's hand was on her hips. Her words were strong, yet motherly. The last thing she wanted was for Anna to feel cornered or attacked again.

Anna realized that she'd spoken liberally, not once, but twice about her files. She gazed at them. Pops was unreadable. Was he offended? Or hurt by the omission? Elsie had the look of a mother who wouldn't back down until she got her response.

She had to look down momentarily, unable to keep her eyes on them. She felt guilty. They'd always trusted each other.

"It… It happened several times. Mr. Bates knew, and Matthew knows. Nobody else did. I didn't tell you because I did not want to worry you."

"Bates knew? And he did nothing to protect you?" Pops elevated his tone and although Elsie put her hand on his chest, as a gesture to make him calm down, he still huffed with anger. "Well, if he was accused of it himself, it's no wonder it's rampant in his office."

Elsie put her hands over her mouth to cover the gaping hole produced from the shock of listening to Pops' comment. She trusted Anna to make the right judgement about John Bates, but, the reality of it all was that it was a good point. Still, it was rude, and out of place to make a comment that would infuriate their ward. The more accusations Charles levied, the probabilities increased that Anna would want to distance herself. Who wants to listen to continuous tirades against the man you love?

Anna rolled her eyes and counted to ten before answering. "On the contrary. He's fostered nothing but an ambiance of respect among colleagues since I arrived. He urged me to report it when he witnessed it firsthand. I refused, as it would hamper the investigation." She looked at Pops coolly. "I won't address the comment regarding the connection between Richard and John's accusations because the parallels are unfounded and… I know you say it out of concern for me. "

Elsie took Anna's hand. She had to admire the young lady. She showed much more restraint than her husband. "Darling, we may not be your parents, but, we love you as if we were. If something had happened to you, more than what already did, we would have never forgiven ourselves for introducing you into this career, and letting the Bates Airlift case go too far."

She reciprocated Elsie's squeeze and gazed adorningly at Pops. His façade melted under her scrutiny. As always, he was putty in her hands.

"I never felt in any real danger until Saturday. It would not have been your fault if something had happened. I'm in no danger, anymore. Nothing else can happen to me."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"He did what?"

Matthew debated whether he should tell John about Anna's attack. He consulted with her, to determine if she wanted to tell him herself. It was a private matter for her, after all, and he didn't want to encroach on her right to manage the situation in a way she preferred. They were together too, and it would have impact on their intimacy. She couldn't make up her mind, initially. While she favored being the one to tell him, the reality was that she would not have time in the coming days to visit him, as busy as she was preparing his defense. He had a right to know and she preferred that he found out from Matthew, rather than from the press.

He explained the details and as he spoke, John's temper began to flare. It was unavoidable and expected. "She's bruised and shocked, but she's fine, John. I'm meeting her in an hour with the Inspector in charge so that she can give her official declaration."

"I'm going to kill that sorry piece of shit when he comes here," John responded. His teeth were clenched, and the barely audible sentence were the indicators of just how much rage he was suppressing.

Matthew took him seriously. The look in his eyes was too primal to be ignored. "I feared that by telling you, you would have that reaction, but, John, you can't do anything to him. Anna has worked so hard, and she's found the evidence that supports your innocence. She spent all day, yesterday, in bed, going through all of the data, when she should have been resting. She's doing it because she loves you. Don't throw it all away."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Their appointment had been set for mid-morning. Anna was grateful for the extra hour lie-in. She had pondered the sense in going to the office for an hour, then heading out. It wouldn't give her enough time to communicate with the team appropriately and this would spur more questions than she wanted. Instead, she opted to stay at home an additional hour. It would appease her godparents too. They had argued the night before concerning her plans, her elders preferring her to spend an additional couple of days in bed. She found no need for it. The bruises would not disappear in that interim, and her headache was under control of the medication. Her overall soreness had diminished under her Sunday bedrest. The extra hour gave her clarity of mind and allowed her to figure out how to camouflage herself best.

She contacted Anthony and explained that she needed Tom and Phyllis for a couple of hours and that she would explain upon arrival. Both had already been advised by Inspector Vyner that they would also be required to give their official testimonies and texts had been exchanged between herself and them. Now, all three sat in the waiting area. Anna hugged her colleagues when she saw them and a tear escaped her eyes as she thanked each of them for their role in her rescue. Tom confirmed he had sisters and a mother, not to mention aunts, cousins and nieces and he would rather burn in hell than allow the unthinkable to happen on his watch. She never even realized that he had been hurt himself. He had a scrape under his chin and his hand was bandaged. Anna assumed that they had been obtained while in service of her defense. Phyllis, again, was an enigma. She could sense real emotion when they hugged, feeling extra pressure from Phyllis' tight grip. She could even sense a slight tremble. Her face reflected dread, the opposite of what her body language suggested. There was no extra sympathy and this confused Anna.

Mathew had arrived and he winked at her, as she knew he had been to the prison to see Mr. Bates. She was desperate to know what words could have been exchanged between them, but this was neither the time, nor the place. Matthew had offered to be present for both Tom and Phyllis' testimony as well, and Anna thought it was the proper thing to do, so, Matthew and Tom disappeared, Tom being the first to be called through. This left Anna with Phyllis. Enigma Phyllis…. The Phyllis that had no cyber footprint and that had just miraculously turned up to be her protector. The Phyllis whose printer had most likely reproduced the warning letters for Mr. Bates. Anna looked around. Although there were people in the vicinity, they were far enough removed that their conversation would be private.

"I know it's you." Anna had no preamble. She said it clearly, shifting her body slightly to gauge Phyllis' reaction.

"Pardon, me?" Phyllis answered with a deadpan face. She seemed to have heard, just not understood.

"I know you are Seeker of Truth. You wanted me to find you. Well, I've found you."

"I do seek for the truth to be upheld, that is why I am here. I don't understand what you mean by finding me, though.…" Her face had taken on a confused look.

Anna thought Phyllis was either a good actress or she was really not her twitter troll. She started to doubt herself.

"Phyllis, give it up. I've discovered you." Her voice took on an additional depth of emotionality, almost pleading, but Phyllis did not budge. There was no change in Phyllis' demeanor that could hint of falsehood. She was nothing if not confused with the line of questioning.

"Anna, are you well? I really have no idea what you are talking about."

Anna sighed and uttered a faint, "Forget it," before facing forward once again. Where had she gone wrong with her conjecture?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**TB ACCOUNT FOUND HSBC BRUNEI WORTH 1.2 MIL QUID. CONSTANT TRANSACTIONS. WILL FWD FILES. **

_That weasel_, was all she could think to say as she stared back at the text message that Joe had just sent her. So, how had Thomas Barrow accumulated such an amount? On the salary they paid him? It must be the invoices, since there were no other proven money leaks from their main operating account.

"I thought you could use some tea," Edith offered from the door as she held on to a steaming mug.

Edith's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Oh, bless you. Yes, I could." After today's emotions, she could use something to calm her down. "I'm sorry I wasn't here this morning to teach you the ropes on your first day." She would have wanted to control the situation and introduce her personally.

"Don't worry about that. When Papa brought me in himself, nobody dared to be mean to me. Gwen's been especially kind….She's been very helpful in teaching me."

Of course Gwen would be kind. It was in her nature.

"The only one who's been rude is Vera, but we all expected that." Edith shrugged her shoulders.

Ah…. Vera..… yes, the bad-mannered and callous one. She hadn't made it easy for Anna either when she'd gotten the whole team together after her arrival from the Inspector's office. She had decided on being direct and clear about the circumstances with all of the team. Phyllis and Tom had agreed on this course of action as well. Even with Robert present, Vera had guffawed at the explanation, interrupting Anna on more than one occasion as she tried to provide her side of the story. Vera was perturbed at the notion that her lover could have done what he was accused of. She called Anna a flirt in front of everyone. While Anna tried to compose herself and feign no reaction to her words, Robert asked Vera to leave. She stormed out of the room as Tom clapped. Yes, it had been a very emotionally draining day.

The team had largely tiptoed around her, but when some of the absent pilots heard what had happened, they came to lend their support. Michael and Evelyn did not hesitate to come to her, offering their allegiance. She was gratified with their signs of solidarity.

She wished the day were over, but she still had much to do.

"Can I do anything else for you?" asked Edith when she saw Anna's mind wander.

She did need to get to the bottom of Thomas' deception and it started with figuring out the invoice situation. She had the whole of Thomas' files on a flash drive. She hadn't garnered much last night, except to understand what Thomas' files were comprised of. And…she had those two invoices that she had randomly selected before her attack. They had been sitting on her desk since Saturday. Her intuition told her that the accidental transposing of quantities she had detected was at the heart of the problem. She was going to need more than two random invoices to get to the bottom of this.

"Could you ask Phyllis to give me a random box of invoices from last year and the most recent one too? And could you bring it here?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The coincidences were astounding. Once Anna realized what she was looking at, everything seemed to fall into place. It had taken her several hours to figure it out, and she had worked well into the middle of the night. Thomas was brilliant.

Each invoice in his personal file matched an invoice that Phyllis had created. Except, the invoice was for a higher amount. Thomas was reproducing the invoices fraudulently; increasing the amount from 5 to 7 percent higher than what Bates Airlift had billed the customer. He had copies of the contract and knew what they were supposed to be billed. Anna guessed that he was somehow intercepting every invoice that Phyllis was sending, and replacing it with his own. Upon further scrutiny, Anna realized that the information provided to the customers for payment was wiring funds to the HSBC bank branch in Brunei, the exact information that Joe had just sent her that afternoon. She tracked several invoices from the most recent box Edith had sourced for her, and then mimicked her process for the random box provided for last year too. The customers would wire the funds, as specified, and they would reach the account. A day or two later, a wire from that HSBC bank in Brunei was made to the main operating account at Bates Airlift, in the exact amount that Phyllis had invoiced. If for some reason the customer inquired about the erroneous billing, Thomas would send a company apology and issue a credit. He even had Royal Mail PO Box listed as the address for any queries. For every customer that complained, he never processed a fraudulent invoice again.

The customers who were being overcharged must have had faulty auditing practices in their companies if he could just inflate the prices and not get any queries. ENERGYBURST and PERENCO, their two biggest current accounts were more often than not, the target. The trend that she noticed was that the smaller the company, the more often the accounting was scrutinized. The larger the company, there was less concern. With the large accounts consuming between them over 100K pounds per month, if he was charging a premium of 7%, he was making a cool 7,000 just from these two companies alone. When the others were added up, it was from 10K to 15K, per month. No wonder he could pay his flat and his car and still have a cool million and a quarter left.

A feeling of alarm invaded Anna. Bates Airlift had been defrauding customers for years. Even if it was just Thomas, if this got out, the negative publicity would finish them. Even if he was a rogue employee and it could be proved in court, they were liable, as a legitimate corporation, to make sure their own accounting practices were safe. How could Anthony not have noticed? She didn't want to be critical of him, as she was not an expert in accounting, but this was his second fail in her mind. She had never wanted to voice her concerns before, but, as the Controller, he should have seen the amount of money that was being transferred out of the main operating account before it accumulated to the millions of pounds that Mr. Bates allegedly stole. That situation should have been easier to detect. This fraud, though, would have been harder for him to track. She couldn't get it out of her mind that he should have had a methodology to reconcile the transposed amount against the invoice to make sure the company received all of the funds it was due.

They might have never known if Thomas had not made an honest transposing mistake. In the end, that invoice, the one that had the deficit of funds, was just an honest mistake. He was very precise in every other transaction that he generated, and this was a one-off, one that just happened to be found by her.

First thing in the morning, she had called PERENCO accounting and asked if they had paid for the invoice in question. Anna invented a story regarding how they were updating their billing system, but the invoices of certain months had been corrupted, including the one in question and they couldn't track it. Just to be sure, would they mind sending a copy of the wire they had sent? Anna encountered a nice young flirty fellow and he emailed her a PDF file with all of the transactions that PERENCO had with Bates Airlift in 2014. It was a goldmine. Every transaction was for a higher amount than what Bates Airlift had invoiced, and matched every fraudulent invoice Thomas had in his file.

When she spoke to Matthew, he concluded that this was enough information to talk to the police about Thomas' fraud of Bates Airlift's customers. Although they had obtained the bank information and files illegally, they did not need to provide that information. She had a transposed invoice and proof of the amount of funds that PERENCO had wired and this was probable cause for the police to suspect him of fraud, since he was the one that was matching the deposits to the invoices. Coincidentally, the same IP report that the police produced, the one that incriminated Mr. Bates, was key. All of the PERENCO transactions came from the same IP address, as did hundreds of others. Only those accounts that Thomas was not defrauding had IP addresses that were different and unique, most likely from their companies. All of the defrauded accounts shared this IP address. Anna knew that, even if they didn't, but they were sure to discover it. This fraud might lead them to believe that he might be responsible for the fraud that John Bates had allegedly committed, but it also might not be enough. For that, she knew exactly what to do. Sarah was key.

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"Richard Carlisle?" The guard came to the cell where the posh Sale Manager lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was motionless, except for the steady rise of his chest.

He couldn't believe he hadn't been awarded bail. His mother would be so disappointed.

Receiving no reply, the guard went ahead with his missive.

"Hey, sweetheart. Snap out of it. Your lawyer left a message. Your arraignment will be in three days and afterwards, you'll be transferred to Whetherby prison to await your trial."

Richard didn't move. Even that news couldn't compel him to care anymore.

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Matthew was very punctual, a good competency for a lawyer to have. They chatted for a few moments, to determine what their strategy might be and what might happen if they were not successful. Anna also was determined to tape the session and ensured that everything was in working order with her recorder.

"Are you ready to do this, Anna?"

"I am." She picked up her phone and dialed. "Please tell Phyllis to cover the phones for you and come to my office, please."

A minute later, Sarah O'Brien walked into the space. She was taken aback when she saw Matthew there. She tensed.

"Please close the door and take a seat," Anna instructed when she realized Sarah was not moving forward.

Sarah reluctantly closed the door, not before scowling. "I am entitled to a witness if you plan to sack me or council me."

"Why do you feel I am calling you in here to either sack or council you?... Have you done something that requires either?" Anna asked confidently, and this irritated Sarah slightly.

"Well, the lawyer is here. He wouldn't be here if you didn't have that intention." She still refused to sit.

To calm her down, Anna realized it would be necessary to appease her concerns. "This discussion is not about your work. I believe Mr. Bates had that discussion with you days before he was arrested. I have nothing to add to that. Please take a seat."

Sarah breathed in and finally assented. She said nothing else.

"We are here to talk about Mr. Bates and the alleged fraud."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "This again?" she seemed to be talking to Matthew directly now. "I told you everything I know last week. I have nothing to add."

"Sarah, you are going to listen to me before saying anything else." Anna pushed forward Sarah's curriculum vitae and job application from several years ago. "Is this your information?"

Sarah took the documents and read through them quickly. "Yes, they are mine."

"Is everything on the document correct?" Anna asked sweetly.

"Why are we doing this?" Sarah looked bewildered.

"Just review it and tell me if there is anything on the sheet that you may have misrepresented." Anna was firmer this time.

Sarah took the sheet again and looked through it. "Aside from my address, everything else should be correct. I moved to a different flat three years ago."

"Are you aware that lying on a CV is false misrepresentation under the Fraud Act of 2006 and that I am in my right as your employer to pursue legal action against you?

Sarah reacted with an incredulous expression. "Because I moved to a different address?"

"Not because of the address. The form asks you if you have a criminal record and you answered, no."

Sarah was momentarily stunned, but not wanting to give herself away, she rebounded. "I don't have a criminal record."

"I beg to differ." Anna produced a mug shot of Sarah, in her early twenties, and a New York City police file. She pushed them forward. "Are you not the Sarah O'Brien that was married to Frederick Lewis and who served six months at the Bayview Correctional Facility in Manhattan, New York?"

Sarah turned deadly white and the document slipped through her hands and to the floor. Matthew picked them up and put them in front of her, again.

"I urge you to answer the question, Sarah," Matthew added for dramatic effect.

"This….this…." She stammered, the shock of finding herself in this situation, causing her to not speak properly. "This, it was long ago. It was in the US. I don't have a UK criminal record."

"No, you don't, but the form doesn't differentiate, now, does it? It just says criminal record and you have one. A felony, to be specific…." Anna added with no compassion in her tone. Gone was the sweet intern Sarah would have expected.

"Does this mean you are going to have me arrested?" Sarah asked contritely. There was no more bravado of the moments prior. "I've done nothing wrong. That life was long ago. That man, he made me do it. I divorced him and I've never done anything else like that again."

"Well, we can do two things here. I can have you arrested for lying. It's extreme, but not unheard of. Your lie was a big one – hiding a criminal record, no less. Legally, everybody would side with Bates Airlift."

"Or?" asked Sarah. "What is the alternative? That I go quietly? Because, if you let me leave now, I will quit and never pose a problem to you again."

Anna crossed her arms and settled into the chair, in complete command of the situation.

"Oh, I don't know Sarah. I'm rather fond of giving people second chances if they redeem themselves. I see no reason for you to leave. In fact, only Matthew and I know about your conviction. It could all go away, never resurface again. Robert Crawley, Vera Bates, or whoever the owner is, never has to know a thing. You've proven that you are not a thief and your lack of a UK record confirms it."

"What do you mean, redeem myself?" asked Sarah, nervously. She was sure Anna wouldn't let her off the hook that easy. Why make a big case of her situation if she didn't intend to do anything about it?

"That's an excellent question Ms. O'Brien. I have reason to believe that you know more than you've said about Mr. Bates' case."

Matthew, having provided limited interactions, spoke up. "When we met last, all you did was posture and speak ill of John Bates."

"I stand by what I said," she added.

"Do you?" asked Anna pointedly. "Matthew tells me that you insulted him and called him a thief. Those are pretty strong words coming from a convicted felon herself."

"Do you want me to lie?" Sarah asked. Were they trying to coerce her to give a false testimonial?

Anna raised her voice harshly. "No, I want the truth. John Bates did not do this crime. Vera Bates did, helped by Thomas Barrow. If you don't want to go to jail, you will tell us right now, anything that you have heard discussed from either of them, and you will be willing to write it down and provide testimony in court if needed."

"And if I don't…?" she was weighing her options. Vera had never disclosed anything to her, but Thomas was different. She knew Thomas was involved. He had said he had done his part. After their deposition, he had slipped up. Did she have any allegiance to him? Owe him anything? He was always quite condescending to her and judgmental, even if he was her friend.

"I would be ready to register the complaint with the York Police Authority." Matthew showed her the document. "It's already drawn up. I assure you, this will be quite quick and you'll be arrested before the end of the day."

No, she did not owe Thomas any allegiance. And in that moment, she told them everything he had said.

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"Oh my Lord," muttered a nervous Elsie. She was usually so calm and collected, but something about being inside a prison unnerved her. "Oh Dear," she added.

"What are you going on about?" huffed Charles with irritation. He wasn't as sensitive as he should have been to her nerves. He'd already been in a prison once, visiting a former client. He wasn't acclimated, so to say; rather, he'd lived through his experience and was not as shocked as she was. He was nervous too, but of what, he couldn't say. It wasn't every day that one surprised their goddaughter's lover with an unannounced visit.

"Oh, Let me be nervous if I want to be," she responded with indignation as they walked through the halls to the visitation room.

"What on earth do you have to be nervous about?" he stopped and asked when they were only a few yards from the main corridor.

"There are murderers and rapists here…. All congregated within a few meters from where we're standing. That doesn't make you nervous?" she spat back with incredulity. Whatever Charles said, he couldn't be that at ease at being in a place like this. She was sure his calmness was a front. There was a bead of sweat collecting at his brow and it wasn't even that hot in here. He was faking his calmness and she knew it.

Charles blew air out of his mouth, and a gruff grunt emanated. He would have been better off coming in here alone. He didn't need Elsie's insecurities dragging him down. But…she was right, of course. The company within these walls was not of the caliber they were used to being around, but he'd do whatever he needed to do to make that man understand just how much he was dragging Anna down. Then, he'd leave just as quickly as he could.

"What was that grunt about?" She poked forcibly at the spot just underneath his clavicle to make her point. His non response was annoying Elsie. He wasn't even validating her concerns with words?

"Ouch," he responded, swatting her arm away and rubbing where her fingers had jabbed a few seconds earlier. "I didn't ask you to come. If it bothers you that much to be in here, perhaps you should go wait in the car."

Elsie felt the rush of blood go to her head. "Go wait in the car?" Elsie repeated his words with distaste. "I wouldn't leave you alone with Mr. Bates for one minute, you understand me? Anna would never speak to us again and I won't have it." She knew better than to leave him to his own devices. For all of his humane qualities, prudence was something he was not gifted with. And, she wouldn't be caught dead walking back on her own. She was intrepid and fearless on many fronts, but there was something about this place that rendered her audacious spirit inert.

"Well, then… let's get this over with, shall we?" Charles gestured with his arm, inviting her to move towards the double doors into the visitation area. His voice was full of cheek.

Elsie was now the one to grunt a response, moving forward at his prompt. Soon enough, they had been processed and were sitting nervously at a table. They chose the one as close to the guard station as possible. A few minutes later, they saw him make his way with a few other men whose guests were also waiting in the room with them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carson. Is she alright?" He was panicked and his voice sounded fearful. Perhaps it hadn't been wise to surprise him.

"She's bruised, Mr. Bates, but she's fine." Elsie offered. They were aware that he knew of Anna's attack. The look of terror in the man's eyes caused compassion in her immediately. Already feeling guilty for coming here, this made her feel worse.

"Oh, Thank God," he answered as he slumped into his chair. His eyes were hollow with obvious concern.

Charles huffed. He had it all planned out in his head. He knew exactly what he would say. This man needed a lecture, to be reminded that he was not worthy of his little girl. Elsie was convinced that this man was wrongly imprisoned, but not him. He must be after her money, no matter what Anna said. This charade, where he would have them believe he was concerned about Anna needed to stop and he would bring it about.

At Mr. Carson's noise of displeasure, John reacted. He must not be in agreement with what his wife had just said. The furrowed brows and creased forehead reflected confirmed it.

"She's not fine?" he asked, as calm as he could, his voice masking his fear. "Please, tell me the truth. I must know." This time, the thin veil of composure he was trying to relay was cracking. His worry seeped through with his last words.

"She is not fine, thanks to you," Charles bellowed loudly, interrupting the conversations of the tables around him. Other guests looked towards their table with interest.

John's composure was breaking and he ignored the others. "Please tell me the truth. What's wrong with her?" He turned to Mrs. Carson. She was a sensible woman and would confirm or deny what her husband was saying. She wouldn't toy with him.

"Charles, calm down," Elsie addressed her husband first, with an imperious and demanding tone. She then turned to the panic stricken man before her. Her approach was softer. "What Charles means, is that he is worried that she has taken on more than she can manage. She is hardly resting, after her attack, so involved in the running of the office she is….and at the same time, trying to make sense of all of the evidence. Physically, she is fine, but mentally…. we worry about her."

John pouted, while his heart slowed from the rapid beating that had ensued. He was relieved to know she was well, but not entirely. His poor Anna. He didn't even know what to say. Perhaps he had rushed into asking her to manage the entire operation. But if she wasn't well, she shouldn't. He was thinking about what to answer when Mr. Carson's gruff voice started again.

"It's your fault. You did this to her. You used your charms to make her fall in love with you, and you've abused her. You saw she had money and was vulnerable and you pounced."

John was already feeling lousy, and these words just helped to make him sink further into his abyss of wallowing. He'd never intended to mislead her. God, how he had struggled to stay away from her. She was so beautiful and full of life, such a gift for a man like himself. He'd known her physically, when he had no right to, as stated by the laws of man. That, he was guilty of, but this other accusation, he didn't understand. Abuse her? How could anyone think that, when he was so in love with her…and...his love for her had increased every day since they'd met. And what did he mean by her money? What money?

"Charles!" Elsie trilled. She was mortified. Anna would be upset with them if Charles continued in this manner.

With visible emotion in his voice, John addressed the accusations. "I love her, with all my heart." He couldn't believe he was saying this to her parents, but they needed to hear it. "It was not my intention to drag her into my troubles and I am aware of just what a poor prospect I am for a lovely, young and brilliant woman like her." He recounted everything that he had against him. "Married, with a lunatic for a wife, injured, accused harasser, imprisoned…she could do much better." He looked to the ceiling in reflective thinking. "I tried to avoid it. She did too. It wasn't until after we found the evidence of Vera's liaison and some misunderstandings that we succumbed to these feelings."

Words. To Charles, they were nothing but empty and void of any meaning.

"You say you love her, but what kind of love is that?" Charles voice was increasing in intensity, although he was whispering this time. "Hiding her, not giving her a rightful place beside you, having her manage your affairs, then, after she's spent an intense day at the office, working until wee hours of the morning on making sense of the evidence against you, topped off by your failure to do anything against that beast. You knew about his harassment and you did nothing to protect her. That's not love. That's abuse."

The harsh words coming from somebody that Anna loved were painful to listen to. Of course Mr. Carson was right. To an external observer, he had failed her continuously. The moment he heard what Richard had done, well, he went back to his cell to cry and hadn't stopped since. He should have done something when he had the chance. He had failed her.

Elsie was the wiser of the two, but she let her man talk. She also harbored some doubts about this relationship. Not the work – she knew how dedicated Anna could be. Her work ethic was not his fault. Other questions did need to be asked. Why he had allowed himself to succumb to his passions when he was not a free man? Why had he not sacked Richard when Anna told him what had happened?

"I wouldn't have put it that way, and while I do not agree with the choice of words my husband has chosen to employ, I too question your logic. If I am here, risking Anna's wrath, it is because she finally revealed to us that you were aware of Mr. Carlisle's harassment of her. You've said you love her, but, why on earth, would you have allowed that man to continue working in your company, doing nothing about it? And after you had decided to do nothing about it, you allowed her to go back and work for you, managing your affairs where she would be in direct confrontation with him? Please tell me so that I can understand." Her tone was motherly, but direct.

John trembled, but he would answer. He hadn't felt this nervous in years. "I have made many mistakes in my life and this is one of the ones I regret the most. I urged Anna to come forward several times. If I was not more forceful, it was because she did not want to do it. She is strong and determined and I listened to her and respected her wishes. Since Matthew told me about what Richard did, I haven't slept for the feeling of helplessness and despair. Knowing I could have done something and I did not, haunts me. She paid a high price for this investigation and I wish I could see her and tell her how sorry I am. I should have protected her, and I didn't. I do see myself as a failure." By the time he was finished, a tear rolled down his cheek and he had covered his eyes with his hand, rubbing the tears away.

Neither of the Carson's was entirely satisfied, but they relaxed their attitude. It was not their intention to punish him. At least it wasn't Elsie's. She wasn't so sure about her husband. Before Charles could continue with a tirade, Elsie jumped in.

"I am sure she wants to see you too, but she is running herself ragged. She won't stop because she loves you and she does not want to fail in the office and she would die if she could not get you out."

A small smile formed itself when Elsie said that Anna loved him.

"I've never meant to do Anna any harm. I regret that our relationship started the way it did. She deserves to be courted properly and treated like the great woman she is. Unfortunately, there has been a lot at stake judicially, and the situation prompted me to ask her to keep our relationship hidden. It is temporary, but I am not proud of that. Now, it is no longer an impediment. I could go public, given that I sold my partnership to my friend Robert Crawley. I no longer have my business to lose, but, I don't want to. Not while I am still married to Vera and in prison. I would be putting Anna in jeopardy. That's why I refused to allow her to be my alibi. I know I wouldn't be here anymore if she'd testified on my behalf like she and Matthew wanted. The proof I didn't do it was there, we were together when a transaction was made, but the cost to Anna would be too great. Vera would annihilate her. I would rather be in here for the rest of my life than see her reduced to nothing after Vera finishes her. I cannot let the press label her any manner of despicable names for her love of me. I refused."

Elsie's heart was reduced to rubble when she heard him speak. Charles was fairing no better. His jaw was left hanging. They had no clue that Anna had offered to be his alibi and Mr. Bates had refused. Charles' assertions that Mr. Bates had abused this relationship were all crushed in the face of this new truth. Mr. Bates had the opportunity to get out, and he'd declined the opportunity for love of her. In that instant, she felt foolish.

"Yes, we appreciate that very much, even if Anna would not agree," was all Elsie could think of to say in that moment. Charles was rendered speechless and that was a good thing. Even with this new information, she would bet anything he still did not like John Bates. That was fine, as long as he kept quiet.

"I promise I'll talk to Robert about finding her some help. He told me she's being doing marvelously and I didn't doubt that she had the talent and ability to manage the operation, but I do realize it is too much, with everything that is going on."

Elsie was appeased by this compromise. "Thank you, Mr. Bates. That's all we ask."

Charles mumbled a thank you as well. He still refused to look at him, preferring to stare down at the table.

"What did you mean about the money and her being vulnerable?" John scratched his head. "I think I've addressed your concerns, but I am confused about that."

Elsie almost swooned when she heard him ask. That fool husband of hers had not right to bring up the money. Anna wanted this to remain a secret, and he almost blew it. "Oh, nothing. Just ignore my husband, Mr. Bates. Charles was just upset."

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"Are you for real, Anna?" Gwen's enthusiasm was overflowing.

For Anna, this bit of happiness was something that she was looking forward to. "It is. Starting today, you are being promoted to Sales Representative. It has been cleared with Anthony and Vera and your salary has been adjusted."

"Oh my God. I want to hug you so much." Gwen offered.

"Then hug me. I could really use one right now." The redhead came around her desk and did just that.

"Thank You, Anna. I was worried when you arrived, but you've given me something I've always wanted. I can't be mad at you now." She sat back in her chair.

The word _mad_ pierced Anna's heart. Gwen upset at her was something she didn't want and she also didn't want to take the credit for something John Bates started. He had said from the beginning of their conversations that he would promote her. Circumstances dictated that she was the one following through, but it would have easily been him if he hadn't been arrested.

"You know, Mr. Bates was the one who wanted this. He told Anthony and Robert before selling his part. You really do owe it to him, that this happened. On the basis of your performance last week, I say it is totally justified. And we are evaluating what to do with the Sales Manager position. We won't be rushing to hire anybody, so, if you work hard, you never know what could happen."

"I will work hard, Anna. I'll show you what I can do."

There was a momentary pause and lull in the conversation.

"I'm sorry, you know." Anna thought it was best to address Gwen's mistrust while they were here, together.

"Sorry about what?" Gwen was confused.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming back. It all happened so fast."

Gwen responded, "Oh." It dawned on her that the conversation that she had been dreading with Anna was also finally taking place.

"I never expected all of this. Mr. Bates in prison….the position…..Richard's attack …... I really do appreciate your friendship and support and I hope we can get over this. Someday, I'll be able to disclose everything that was happening at the time. I hope you can forgive me…because….I need you."

Anna's words were said with much emotion. She didn't realize how much she had gotten used to Gwen in the office while she was an intern. The absence of her friendship was much felt, and after her difficult last few days, much needed.

"I'll not pretend that it didn't hurt, because it did. I didn't understand what was going on and I still don't understand a lot of things, but, I am over it." She reached out to touch Anna's hand. "Of course, you have my support."

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TWO DAYS LATER…..

From his bed, Thomas could hear somebody knocking at the door. "Christ. What time is it?" He turned to the clock on his dresser. 5:30 in the morning.

"Bloody hell, Thomas." James exclaimed as he threw the covers away from his body. "Who are you expecting at this hour?" His agitation was apparent as he bolted out of bed. "I need to hide."

Thomas was up already and donning his underpants. "You know how ridiculous you are?"

"It's my life, Thomas." James was opening the door to the loo, to hide within.

"Whatever," exulted Thomas as he grabbed at his robe and walked towards the front of his house.

The pounding on the door was louder.

"Who the bloody hell is it?" He peered into the peephole. He would never open the door unless he knew who it was. That was a general rule, but he was heeding it ever more so. Mrs. Singh, from next door, reported seeing suspicious people on their street. Apparently, a prostitute had been selling her wares to a Yankee tourist on their very portal and they had been hot and heavy. That was too close for comfort. It was a good thing he was hoping to relocate soon to Switzerland. Once the first hooker shows up, the street will be full, then the pimps will join them and the drug pushers and before you know it, all of their homes will have decreased in value.

"Police. Open up." The answer confirmed what he saw through the tiny glass. A man in uniform was standing outside.

Fear gripped him. What was this about? Were his parents ok? His sister down in Harwich? Or….could it be…..? Had they discovered him? He did as they asked without further delay.

"Are you Thomas Barrow?" asked the man at the front. There were at least 4 men and two squad cars. None of them looked friendly, and there was no compassion in their eyes.

"I am," he responded sheepishly.

"Well, then, Thomas Barrow. You are under arrest for fraud perpetrated against Bates Airlift and its customers."

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**A/N: Will Thomas reveal what he knows? Will Vera be caught? Tune in to the next chapter for those answers. One more chapter and Mr. Bates will be free !**

**Thank you for all your reviews, favorites, follows and messages. I appreciate every one.**


	23. Carson's Foibles

**Words – 11.2K**

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR VIOLENCE**

**A lot of things happening in this chapter! **

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She should have expected that he wouldn't talk. Matthew had observed the interrogation through the glass at the police station and said that Thomas had remained smug throughout the whole process. His lawyer from the same firm that represented Vera, beside him. He denied everything, and voiced his surprise at the allegations levied against him. Anna wondered if his attitude might convince the police that he wasn't guilty, but Matthew assured her it wouldn't be possible. For all of his feigned innocence, the evidence against him was overwhelming.

Sarah's statement and Anna's invoice from PERENCO had been enough to arouse suspicion and with Matthew's insistence, a search warrant had been issued after Thomas' arrest. The inspectors uncovered exactly what Matthew suggested they would find. At first, they did not understand how all of the files were related and Matthew could not explicitly point out that they were looking at the vestiges of two separate and distinct frauds. He had to let them come to that conclusion on their own, lest they get suspicious about Matthew's knowledge. The Inspectors had called upon Anthony, as the Bates Airlift Controller, to make sense of the files. Anna and Matthew had filled him in on exactly what he would find and how he had to lead the investigative team towards the conclusions that were most beneficial to Mr. Bates and the company. They were worried about Anthony's acting skills and that he would come off as too knowledgeable and implicate himself or the others, but they shouldn't have been. He played his cards right, coming up with believable reactions to every bit of documentation that was presented to him. After several hours at the York police station, he and the team assigned to the case had been able to map out Thomas' deception. But all of Anthony's work helped to formally carve Thomas out as the mastermind of a brilliant fraud, but it did not implicate him in Mr. Bates' purported own embezzlement. As much as Anthony tried to guide the conversation to talk of IP addresses, he couldn't get the inspectors to focus on that part of the story and he knew he could not flat out point it out, since he wasn't supposed to be knowledgeable at all. It was an exercise in frustration to be so close to solving the puzzle, yet not being able to do so. It was no consolation to any of them that Thomas would not get out of jail in a long time.

What they needed was for Thomas to admit that he had had a part in framing Mr. Bates and most importantly, that Vera had been behind it all. If Thomas would not admit to any of it, they still couldn't get Mr. Bates out of prison. After so much work and accomplishments from their own investigation, they were no closer to a solution and Anna was distraught. Knowing that he was innocent and having the proof, but not being able to present the evidence was trying her patience. She understood what Matthew was saying, that the evidence had to present itself organically and be uncontestable, if not, she, her Godparents, Joe, and Matthew himself would be held liable for breaking the law. Her zeal to have him out had to come second to everybody else's wellbeing. There had to be another way. What was she missing?

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Vera had been fidgety since she found out about Thomas' arrest. Anna didn't know who had told her, but when she first encountered the woman, intent on explaining the situation, she was brushed away. Vera muttered something about how difficult it was to find employees with any integrity left in them and had promptly shut the door. She left Anna without a response either, the second time Anna tried to approach her. The police had confirmed that after a certain time of judicial process, Bates Airlift would be able to petition the bank and claim the funds as long as they could prove that the money would be returned to the defrauded clients. Anna wanted to give Vera an opportunity to provide an opinion on how they should go about that process, but Vera had not said anything at all. She distanced herself, and on the second day of Thomas' arrest and questioning, she did not come to the office.

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Bates Airlift was a mess. How could it not be? First Mr. Bates, then Richard and now Thomas. There was a feeling of despair among the remaining staff. Morale was low and productivity was sinking, even when the amount of work was on the rise for everybody.

"What will happen to him now?" asked Tony Gillingham at the meeting Anna had called to talk about what was happening to their company.

"I suspect that he will be arraigned soon and sent to Whetherby prison just like Richard and Mr. Bates," Anna answered to the employees that were present. "He'll be tried and have his day in court." When she scanned the room, it really did look sparse in comparison to the meetings they had when she had just joined the company. The room used to be full and now there were empty seats. Prison was thinning out their ranks.

At her response, there were sighs. It wasn't as much surprise in their tone, rather resignation. Their faces proved it. Sarah's bravado had disappeared since Anna had confronted her several days ago. She sat at the table, staring forward. Many of the other's eyes were on her and she could see the unposed questions in their eyes. Alfred's quizzical stare was the most obvious. He was prudent, and said nothing, but Anna knew that everybody wanted to know what Sarah knew and if she too was involved. What Anna saw was guilt and shame. She had been completely unaware of Thomas' extensive deception and she felt uncomfortable to be associated with him.

The other most affected party was James. He had a blank stare and Anna was the only person who knew the extent of his relationship with Thomas. Matthew explained that the arrest information described how Thomas' companion had been discovered hiding in the loo when Thomas was arrested. He'd been let go and he had been instrumental in contacting the family and letting them know what was going on with their son. None of that information was made public, so he was still very much in the closet, yet Anna could tell that he was bothered. He looked hollow and Anna wondered how much James might know about Thomas' life and the fraud. He was worth a conversation, she decided, and would need to find the right angle to pressure him into talking.

"So, who's next?" asked Gwen cheekily. She appeared more annoyed than anybody else there. "I mean, I work my arse off to keep this company running and that clown had the gall to defraud us in that way. If this gets out, we'll be ruined."

In a rare display of emotion, Phyllis stared at Gwen with daggers in her eyes. She understood the redhead's frustration, but was not amused at the assertion that the rest of them could be crooks too. "I don't think anybody's next," she answered, and then corrected herself, "Not anybody in this room, anyway."

Vera was not present and Anna had to imagine that Phyllis corrected herself so as not cover for the woman with her blanket statement.

"Alright, guys. Let's settle down. This is unfortunate, but there is no need for us to be at war with each other. There will be a lot of work for us now. I will be getting replacements of a more permanent sort, to help with the amount of work, but until that can happen, I am asking for everybody's help and cooperation."

Most of those in the room nodded or smiled, in acceptance of Anna's request.

"What do we do next?" asked a more serene Gwen.

"We return the money to our customers and we'll have to launch some sort of positive image campaign. I'll hire a PR company for that. I do believe this calls for a more professional approach."

They all seemed appeased with her answer.

"Is it possible that Thomas fabricated Mr. Bates' embezzlement?" Anna almost melted when she heard Tony ask. "Because…. I still can't fathom that Mr. Bates would steal his own money, and now …Thomas' actions, on the heels of that arrest, well, I find it entirely possible that Mr. Bates is not guilty at all." Tony Gillingham's face was dead serious.

God, she wished the police were as bright as her employees. Why couldn't that simple thought cross their minds? Her heart wanted her to scream in agreement, but her head forced her to be more practical. "Nothing is impossible to believe at this point, but Thomas has only been accused of one fraud. It is still early in the investigation, so, who knows what they will find."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Oh, my darling…. What did that beast do to you?" John's agitated voice was laced with concern, all while teetering on the edge of rage. The bluish-brown hue of the bruises was still evident on her face and it made him feel like such a failure for not having protected her. He instinctively reached out to touch her face.

"No touching, Bates party," the voice boomed on the microphone and John had no choice but to pull back his hand. He'd barely touched her cheek.

Although it was no more than a second, feeling his fingers on her made Anna shiver. She had been missing his touch and yearning to feel his warmth. The lingering pain went away, replaced by tingling. He was the perfect medicine and it was magic the way she already felt better.

Albeit the sensations that were coursing through her body, she was able to focus. "It's over, John. Let's not dwell on it." She didn't want him worrying. There was nothing he could have done.

"Anna, I should have been there to protect you. He would not have dared if I'd been around." His eyes were watering. Embarrassed of his public show of emotion, he looked down.

"No, I do believe he would have found a way, as upset as he was, so, please don't put that on yourself." She could tell that he wasn't taking in her words. "John, look at me." When he responded by looking up, she continued. "This is on him, not you. I love that you want to be there to protect me, but even if you weren't in here, you would not have been around me 24 hours to safeguard me at all times." Her voice was firm and she could see a small change in his demeanor.

He shifted his eyes upwards and observed a half-hearted smile form on his pasty lips. He was trying to make her feel better to ease her mind, but Anna could read him and there was something she felt he wasn't saying.

He pressed her for additional details. "I understand Phyllis and Tom came to your aid?"

"They did. I don't know yet what Phyllis was doing there and how it was that she arrived right on time. She's been evasive when I've asked. Tom, however, was finishing an inventory while he waited for an inbound flight and stayed on to complete it after James landed."

John didn't fathom what Phyllis was doing there on a Sunday either, even though he knew her to be loyal and hardworking.

"I heard you inflicted some damage of your own?"

Anna smiled. "I did…. I'm not entirely without fight, as small as I am." Trying to deter the conversation away from the attack, Anna giggled and added some additional comments. "I'll warn you now that I can get feisty if you wake me early and if you steal my covers. The next time we share a bed, I'd watch out if I were you."

He wasn't expecting that and he finally gave her a sincere smile.

It warmed his heart to know that Anna had confidence that he would get out and that they would be sharing a bed again. "I love you, you know," he offered as his heartfelt response.

The tingling in her body rippled again as she listened to his words. She would not tire of listening to it. "I love you too, John," she added, looking straight into his eyes. His eyes bore into hers, the expression in them overflowing. There was love mixed with melancholy. "I know your hearing is tomorrow, and we've not got all our ducks in a row yet, but, I will get you out, John, I promise…. And we will continue where we left off."

His half-hearted smile returned and her feeling that he was holding something back manifested themselves again. He had the guilty look about him. She thought she would have to pry it from him, but he spoke up soon after.

"I'm sorry for putting so much weight on your shoulders. On top of the attack, you have the office and the investigation….. You are overexerting yourself and I've been thinking we should hire somebody different to manage the office."

Hire somebody else? She was not expecting that turn of events. She shuddered to think that he was displeased with the way she was running everything. Things were bad, but she felt she had responded well. Matthew had been by to explain about Thomas and prep him for his hearing, scheduled to start tomorrow. He was aware of everything. The guilty feeling she had been trying to rid him of, had now taken root within her. She'd done all possible to keep the company running.

"I don't understand, John. Robert said he was pleased and has agreed with all of my actions. Anthony has also been on board with everything I've done. I've kept everything running." As she spoke, her voice was cracking with emotion. "We've found all the evidence that exonerates you, even if we can't lead the Inspector to understand the data yet…But, if you think somebody more qualified should do it, then I won't stand in your way." She didn't cry, and she would not. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel forced to keep her because she got emotional. Her insides, though, were mush.

His darling girl. She misunderstood. He was in awe of everything she could accomplish. He was sure there weren't many things that she couldn't do. How could she ever think he would be displeased? He wanted her to rest. He'd been a brute to suggest the additional work and it was the Carson's visit that had all but cemented that idea in his mind.

"My darling," he responded firmly so that he could command her attention. "There isn't anybody more qualified than you and you have done a magnificent job. I am in awe of you and of everything you do."

His statement contradicted what she had just heard him suggest.

"Then why hire outside management that would complicate things? When Robert is ready to turn over the management back to you, that person, wouldn't they be in the way?"

"Anna, I would willingly take on the complication if it meant you could have the rest. You need to take things easier, so that you can get better."

Anna rolled her eyes, a clear sign of her exasperation.

"Mr. Bates, I have bruises on my face. I don't need to rest for them to go away. They will disappear in due time, like your cheekbone wound did. I am not ill and I do not need to get better."

Convincing her would be difficult, he realized. But he owed this to her and to the Carson's.

"Anna, you are running yourself ragged. Your parents tell me you hardly sleep." Her head shot up at that comment.

"What do you mean my parents told you? Did they write to you?" Anna was shocked. She didn't think they would get the nerve to contact him.

John realized his mistake too late. He and the Carson's had not agreed to maintain the secret of their visit. It never came up in their parting, but a part of him realized that it would be prudent for him to not mention their having called on him.

"Not exactly." Once he started, he did not want to lie to her. He would have to explain how their visit transpired. "They came by a couple of days ago."

Oh Lord. He could see the color in her face rising.

"They what?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Elsie," yelled Anna as she turned the key and opened the door to her Godparent's flat. "Pops," she yelled louder. They had better not be doing their lovey-dovey stuff right now, because she was determined to talk to them immediately, even if it meant interrupting their quality time. She'd march into the bedroom if she had to.

She was spared the need to interrupt awkwardly when Elsie came out of the kitchen and Pops peered from around the door of the home office.

"Oh, hello my dear," Elsie greeted her enthusiastically. Pops came out of the enclosure to get his hug from her as well.

Before they could come any closer, she added, with an irritated voice. "Don't _dear_ me….I've just come back from visiting John at Whetherby."

Both of them stopped in their tracks. They'd feared her reaction when she found out.

"What, on God's earth, made you think that tormenting John was a good idea?" She flailed her hands in exasperation. "He's in jail for God's sake."

"I don't know what he said to make you get upset at us," added Pops. "I'm assuming he's wasted no time in turning you against us."

Elsie rolled her eyes. "Anna, love, can I explain?"

Anna responded to Pops first. "He did no such thing, Pops. I encountered a beaten man who blames himself for what happened to me and who wants to hire somebody else so that '_I can rest_'." The last part, she intonated facetiously, indicating with her words that she did not agree. "I had to pry it out of him that you had been by."

"Darling, please take a seat and let me explain." She turned to her husband. "Don't you dare open your mouth further, Charles Carson."

He was going to protest Elsie's admonishment, but she beat him to it. "I mean it, Charles…NOT A WORD." She too trilled her last words loudly, indicating she was not to be contradicted.

He closed his mouth, protesting with a loud sigh, yet complied.

Anna stood in the same spot, crossing her arms across her chest in defiance.

"Anna, please. We meant no harm, and if you sit, I will pour us a cuppa I was just preparing and I will explain." Elsie swung her hand, indicating to Anna that she should move towards the dining room table.

Anna exhaled loudly, but walked through to the table and sat down. Pops positioned himself across from her and like a castigated schoolboy, said nothing. They were staring self-consciously at each other for the few minutes that Elsie was away and when she returned, she too kept quiet as she poured three cups of hot tea.

When the refreshments had been distributed, Anna finally lifted up her hands in a questioning stance. "So, explain to me, please, how making him feel guilty helps me?" She wanted to lash out at them, as irritated as she was, but the respect she had for them made her elevate her voice, instead.

"Sweetheart, Pops and I love you very much and we respect your choices." Anna was preparing to question her words, but Elsie put up her hand. "We do, whether you believe me or not…. And we do have your best interest at heart….. We were worried, after the attack, about the amount of work that you were taking on. ….and we were worried, after finding out that Carlisle's actions were not isolated. We required some questions be answered and you weren't doing much talking."

"You made him feel guilty. It took me a while to get him to change his perspective, and even now, I'm not convinced that I managed it." Anna's body language continued to question their motives.

"That was not our intention, although I will admit, some words that were spoken were unnecessary." She turned around to look at Pops when she said that. "Our visit helped put some things in perspective for us."

"Like what?" Anna asked defiantly.

"I can't speak for Pops, but I am now convinced that he does love you." Elsie noticed how Anna's demeanor changed with her confession. There was hope in her eyes. "You never told us you were planning to be his alibi."

Anna took a deep breath. "No, I didn't….because I didn't think either of you would approve or understand."

"I won't lie. We probably wouldn't have….and we now know that he rejected the idea."

"He did," added Anna in the smallest voice possible. "….because, he loves me."

"We can see that now, darling….. And we're sorry to have doubted him. Aren't we, Charles?" She stressed his name, so that he knew to agree with her.

Elsie's fierce eyes threatened to sensor his words, and Pops just nodded his agreement.

"Then, why torture him with guilt? He told me he wants to hire a new Manager to relieve me of the stress."

Deep down Elsie was relieved that John had suggested this, as that was her primary intent for the visit. Anna needed to slow down, or she would pay the consequences with her health. Bringing it up to her, though, wouldn't ever be an option, as determined as she was.

"We weren't torturing him. We were concerned about you. As the man you love, it is important for him to know what you are going through, and as your guardians - we've been worried about the amount of tasks you have been taking on."

Elsie reached out for Anna's hand tentatively. Anna did not pull back.

"I am not sure that you would have told him just how much work you are doing, darling." Elsie squeezed Anna's hands.

Anna's temperament had decreased considerably. "No, I would not have. He has many things to worry about, and I would not want to burden him further." Anna reflected internally, assimilating what Elsie had just explained. She understood them, but was not convinced. "As much as I understand your good intentions, you did overstep your bounds. How can he fix anything from jail?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Elsie had no alternative but to relent. She always knew that going for this visit would be a bad idea.

"What, about you, Pops? What do you have to say for yourself?" Anna's eyebrow arched in anticipation of his answer and Elsie held her breath. This could go really bad if Pops blundered with his more often than not, rash answers.

Charles looked upon the expectant faces of his women. Elsie eyes feared the worst and he could almost guess that she had no confidence in what he would have to say. Anna, on the other hand, was defiant. She had almost taken Elsie's answers positively, but Elsie had held back the truth and she was expecting him to come clean.

What could he say? He didn't have much time to think.

"I..I…don't like John Bates."

Elsie's eyes grew 100% bigger if that were possible. He could see Anna tense up and ball her fists. That probably was not the best place to start.

"Before you say anything else, let me finish." When he saw the women back down from their tense poses, he continued. "You want the truth and that is the truth… And I say it knowing, that you, my darling girl, may not want to speak to me again." Anna was holding back tears behind her defiant stance and Elsie's mouth was open.

"Why don't I like him? ….. Because he's taken my little girl away from me and put her in harm's way. Because since she met him, she's done nothing but exert herself for his benefit. Because, as in love with him as my little girl is, he cannot reciprocate freely and her love has to hidden away from everyone. My little girl doesn't deserve that." His voice cracked, but he continued on.

"I am now convinced that he did not do the wretched things that he is accused of…..not any of them. And I understand he is not a bad man, and I realize that he does love you….a lesser man would have allowed you to sacrifice your public image for his benefit. That is the first good thing I have seen come from him."

Anna wanted so badly to speak, but Charles would not let her.

"Did I go harass him?" He didn't want them to answer, so, he answered himself. "Yes…..that was my intention, and I am sorry. I had questions that needed answering. Did he know about your attack?...and did he know just how much work you are putting into keeping everything together? I knew you wouldn't tell him and I needed to make sure he was aware."

Anna's defiant stance had started to erode with her Godfather's words. He had accepted that John was good, and that was a start.

"You are right that he cannot do much from jail, and our visit being so close to his hearing, was, perhaps, ill-timed. But, I am telling you now, that I will always speak up and stand up for my little girl, even if she won't talk to me again and even if she thinks that I am wrong. He, and anybody else that you love, has to see that you are not alone, and that you have a pair of old-timers that will always want the best for you and will defend you when needed."

Elsie felt her heart would burst. As rogue as Charles could be, his monologue had been heartfelt and true. Anna couldn't hold back any longer and she lunged from out of her chair and onto his lap. She landed on him without much warning, almost deflating the air from his lungs with the big hug she gave him.

Recovering from the sudden weight levied upon him, he managed to finish his thoughts. "We are your family, Anna, and that is what family does – watch out for one another." He stroked the blond locks that cascaded down her back. She was lightly sobbing on his shoulder, overcome with emotion. "When he gets out, and I know that he will, and when he can hold you on his arm, proudly and publicly, I will accept him into our little family."

Elsie was sniffling beside them. How she loved both of them.

With a runny nose, and blotchy eyes, Anna looked up from her perch on her Godfather's lap. "Thank you for wanting to defend me and thank you for realizing he is a good man. We've been caught up in this unfortunate circumstance, and I know that time will allow him to prove to you that he's the right man for me."

"I'm sure he will, darling," Elsie added.

Before Pops could protest her weight on him, Anna moved back into the chair beside him.

"Tomorrow is his trial, and I'm heartbroken that for all the work that's been done, I still can't get the Inspector to realize he's not the one who's done it."

Elsie took her hand again. "You've done your best, Anna. The truth will come out, somehow."

"But how? Short of writing it all down for the Inspectors, and incriminating ourselves, I don't know what else to do. Thomas is in custody and won't speak. Vera is going to get off, and that is not fair." She let out a frustrated sigh.

Out of the blue, Charles had a thought. He'd considered an option, then put it away when Anna had been attacked and forgotten it among all the pursuant commotion. If his little girl was harboring any reticent ill-will against him, this ought to redeem him in her eyes. "I've been thinking," he added, and he immediately garnered the attention of Anna and his wife.

"You do have one more key witness, another crony of Vera's….and one who knows what Vera has been up to, that you haven't thought to question or coerce…."

Anna racked her brain and then it started coming to her.

"Do you mean Edna?" Anna asked with some doubt.

"Yes. That day in the coffee shop, when they met and I was not able to overhear the totality of their conversation, Vera shared with her something about her plans. Perhaps….. There lies the key to incriminating Vera and finally bringing this charade to a close."

Anna couldn't breathe for all of the excitement she was suddenly overcome with. This was what she had overlooked. "Oh, God…Pops….. Do you know how much I love you?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

TRIGGER WARNING FOR VIOLENCE AND TALK OF RAPE

John's blood pressure was rising. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a crop of sandy blond thinning hair at a distance. He had heard from his cell mate that there were two new inmates and John surmised, from what Matthew had told him regarding Richard's processing, that he must be one of the two men.

He was in the grassy lot they used for recreation. Some of the men were running around a track, but he tended to use this time to stretch and exercise his legs. His hip and knees would get sore if he didn't make the effort at least once a day. It was during his afternoon session that he saw a lonely figure, walking in a disjointed fashion, not really knowing what to do with himself. All new arrivals had that appearance about them.

John waited until their time outside was over. Confronting him in this open expanse would prove futile. John couldn't run and Richard was bound to dash off. No… John knew better and he remained patient for the remaining thirty minutes. How he managed it was a miracle, for he was seething inside. Just remembering the bruises and marks on Anna's beautiful face was enough to kill any thought of prudence.

When Richard least expected it, John pounced and grabbed him, throwing him against the wall in that little closed off area that John had observed was less patrolled by the guards and outside of the reach of the surveillance cameras. He'd have a good few minutes of uninterrupted time with the bastard.

"What the hell?" muttered Richard without really realizing who his aggressor was. When he finally was able to look at John's face, his surprise morphed into fear.

"You, filthy bastard," John muttered as he threw all his weight against Richard's body, pinning him to the wall. John's hand went up to cup his jaw and his fingers were clenched tightly, digging into the skin.

Showing a bit of courage, even when he was trapped, Richard answered back. "Yes, I fucked your wife and it felt good to do it." Thinking it would hurt his opponent, he added, "I would do it again."

John stared at him intensely and clenched his fingers tighter. "I don't care about that harlot. You can have her." Richard's eyes gave away a moment of confusion. If John did not care about his wife, he wondered why he was pressed up against the wall. "I actually have to thank you for that. Your treason will actually give me the divorce I've waited years to obtain."

"Then why this?" Richard growled back and attempted to move out of John's grip. "I am the wronged party here. You cheated me out of the partnership."

John slammed back against Richard, subduing him again. "I wouldn't give a partnership percentage to a man who would show such little loyalty and decency."

John felt the anger rising inside of him. This man had hurt the woman he loved. He stepped back as he gripped the fabric of the prison jumpsuit and swung Richard in the opposite direction. He reached back with his free left arm and connected his fist to Richard's face. Almost in slow motion, the injured man fell to the ground, surprised again at John's response.

John looked up and down the hall. At best he only had one or two more minutes before a guard, or other inmate walked by. He didn't want to get caught. "That was for Anna Smith, you mongrel….. For having the nerve to imagine you had any right to touch her."

"That woman has you like this?" he dared utter as he covered the eye that had just been hit. He attempted to scoot backwards when John started reaching for him again.

Richard put out his foot, hoping to trip his aggressor, but the ex-soldier in John anticipated the move, stepped over his leg, kicked his groin and grabbed him by the shirt again. Richard, doubled in pain, was no match for an angry John.

He brought his face in really close to talk to him. His hip and knee were now throbbing, the angle he was holding the cretin, bearing unfavorably on his body. It didn't matter. "Listen to me, you filth…," he whispered roughly through his pain. "NO WOMAN deserves to be treated in that manner….. and I am glad that this woman in particular will bring you down so that you cannot harm another. She has tapes, you know. She has your voice recorded spewing the proof of your lewd and lascivious manner against her."

Richard's eyes flinched with shock. John assumed that Richard would be aware, but it appeared not. John decided to go ahead with another revelation. If he were to spend his time in jail, in no time, Richard might encounter Anna in the visitor room and discover their association. He'd rather create his own definition on what Anna was to him. "Just so you are aware, although I would defend any woman, I am acting this way because you dared touch the woman I happen to love."

Richard's eyes opened wide, surprised to hear such words. John gritted his teeth, keeping his voice down to a gruff bark. "That's right, you arse. Anna and I are together and I will see to it that you pay dearly for the damage you did to her… and the way it works in here…..I won't even have to be the one to touch you. As soon as the others find out what you are in here for ….well….." John let go of the tight hold he had on Richard and the man fell back slightly.

He hadn't completed the sentence. For dramatic effect, John straightened his body and stood with proud shoulders, puffing out his chest. He reviled this man and could have killed him with his bare hands, but, as Matthew had warned him, it was best for him not to do anything that could get him in trouble. Anna had worked so hard to find the evidence to free him. It wouldn't be fair for her to see him exonerated from one accusation, yet stuck in jail for another.

Standing tall and proud, finishing his thought, John added, "Let's just say that you'll make a pretty bottom."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I am so scared Mary," Anna shared when her friend came upon her that night. Anna was curled up on the sofa, in her pajamas, going through her notes. The anxiety of seeing John trapped in the prison for a crime he did not commit, overwhelmed her. She'd tried so hard and they were at the end of the road. Tomorrow, Anthony would confront Edna and that was the last option available to them. If he couldn't achieve the desired result, John would likely be found guilty.

It was an early night for Mary. She wouldn't see Matthew that evening, as he needed to prepare for the hearing as well. The pub traffic was slow and her father wasn't in the mood to entertain an empty business. He was feeling anxious for his friend and decided to close early. She decided to come straight home.

"Oh, darling." Mary came and hugged her in response. The loose sheets of paper fell to the floor, as Anna held on to her friend.

Anna started sniffling, the weight of the world on her shoulders. "What if it doesn't work and he is convicted?...What if after everything I've done, he is kept in that dreadful place?"

"I've known you for many years, love, and you have the fighting spirit. I don't know of anybody else that's suffered what you have and still starts every day with a smile. You'll get through the bitter pill if it should come to it, and you'll push forward, continuing on."

Mary's words were having a positive effect on Anna. Anna disengaged herself to look into her friend's face. "I guess it doesn't end at the trial, does it?"

"No, it does not. New evidence can be introduced at any time, and Matthew can submit an appeal to have the case reexamined."

Anna was glad to have Mary's company that evening. She'd seen so little of her friend in recent months, what with Mary busy at the pub and the Castle and her budding relationship with Matthew, and not to mention Anna's interminable office and investigative workload. They rarely had a quiet evening, just the two of them.

"I believe," Mary started, "What you need is a break from all of this thinking. Why don't we have a proper girly night, where we do each other's nails and hair and talk about the most mundane things?"

Anna smiled. The proposal was appealing. She'd not kept up with her personal grooming in the last weeks and her cuticles looked appalling. Yet, she still had so many notes to review. She would feel so guilty. "I don't know Mary… I still have this pile of files to read."

"How many times have you gone through them already?" asked Mary with her hand on her hip. Her countenance spoke volumes of what was going through her mind. Anna needed a distraction and she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Today or recently?" asked a sheepish Anna, knowing that in asking the question, she had already failed at defending her need to review them.

Mary rolled her eyes. "You have five minutes to get everything we need. I will put a kettle on."

Anna had no choice but to comply.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Joe often liked to hum while he worked. It kept him less lonely and it suited him fine. He didn't need annoying distraction, so, he didn't yearn for company. He just liked to listen to a little noise now and then to liven the mood.

As he attempted his own rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, his chosen track of the day, he noticed a blinking light on one of his servers. _That's odd_, he thought to himself. The pulsating LED light led him to switch to monitor-view on that machine. He had a message.

His initial reaction was to be upset. He would have started hyperventilating but he remembered to be calm. He'd get to the bottom of it sooner if he did not panic. _Breathe_ he repeated loudly as he accessed the page. The message was a taunt–

**ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE. YOU CRACKED MY CODE, BUT I CRACKED YOURS TOO.**

This again? He whinnied like a horse, mimicking the sounds to near perfection. This always helped him release anxiety. His hands came to rest over his ears in frustration.

He didn't appreciate his security systems being breeched, no matter how innocuous the message or how benevolent the person's intentions were. He looked at the log files and tried to track the IP address. They too were using a proxy server. This message was routing from Greece and this was the end of the information available to him. It wasn't fair. He was among the best hackers in the world. How was it that this person could get to him, but he couldn't get to that person? Of course he could get to that person, but it would take supreme effort to uncover their tracks. He needed the answers now.

In the meantime, he'd answer on his screen. Of course they'd be tracking it and if they were still online, would be able to answer back immediately.

**WHO ARE YOU?** He wrote with steadfast hands.

His screen came to life and a few letters materialized_. '__**I'm….**__' _was all that appeared for a few seconds, followed by those words being erased and replaced with:

_**You did well finishing the tracking of the IP network. I wouldn't have thought of Iceland**__._

At least his harasser was aware of his skill, he thought briefly before reflecting that they'd almost written something about themselves before changing his or her mind. He would try again with different words.

_**WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?... **_He typed, and waited.

The answer came without much hesitance. _**I have a debt of gratitude to pay off.**_

_Mmm, _he thought. _A debt of gratitude? Towards Anna…Or John?_

As he thought of a follow-up question, the person, or nay, his opponent, wrote back.

_**Enough about me. Mr. Bates' trial starts tomorrow and the police are nowhere nearer in understanding the evidence that proves his innocence. What are we going to do about it?**_

Joe puckered his lips as his brow furrowed. _What were they going to do about it? _He'd already done everything Anna had asked. Getting the man out of jail didn't help him in the least. He wasn't as keen on doing anything else that could steal his Anna's attention away from him. Momentarily, while he thought of an answer, he pushed back from the table and swung his legs, trying to gain momentum. He often resorted to swinging around in his chair. He enjoyed the feeling of going in circles and it helped channel his creativeness. He stopped abruptly after a minute and went back to the desk. During his interlude, the entity had written to him again.

_**I've seen your folder on Anna. She won't appreciate it…. Not doing anything, when you could. **_

Joe's eyes bugged open to their fullest and he started snorting nervously. It was a cross of laughing and wheezing, with worry. It knew about his obsession for her? This was unfair, and he was highly embarrassed. What was stored on his servers were his private thoughts. Nobody knew how much he liked the blond.

His reaction was to turn off his screen, and as he reached for the on/off button, he stopped as he saw another missive come through. It was as if the person could see all his actions, and was writing in response to them. He stopped to read it.

_**You should do this for her. **_After a few seconds it added**- **_**We could do it together.**_

Not convinced, but intrigued, what was left of his fragile ego wrote back.

**WHAT DID YOU HAVE IN MIND?**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So, you are Anna's parents?" asked a nervous Anthony as they stuck pieces of tape across his chest, holding the wire that would record his conversation firmly in place.

"Ay," responded Elsie as Charles looked on. They didn't need to go into the detail and explain that her real parents were dead.

"She's quite impressive, you know," offered the man sheepishly.

Ever the protective father, Charles' voice boomed with "How so?" in a resounding tone. Anthony cowered slightly.

Elsie stifled a laugh. Charles' protective father façade and its impact on others mostly made her chuckle. She was turned against them and neither could see the amusement in her face.

"She's managed everything ever so well, and to imagine that she was just the intern, not two months ago, well… it's amazing how well she's caught on." Anthony's comments appeared heartfelt.

Charles finished the connection. "Yes, our girl is impressive," and smiled at the man.

Elsie was less protective and more adoring of her girl. "We've always been very proud of her talents." She swung around to see him face to face. "So, Mr. Strallan… you know what to do, right?" Elsie poked at the small wire behind his ear. It was well hidden.

"Yes, I am to get her to confess, and make sure she says it loudly and clearly."

Elsie remembered how not three months ago, she was giving this same advice to Mr. Bates when he was about to confront his wife. "We will be in the van, recording everything. We have applied cameras around the area. They are attached on the trees, so, if you keep her in the vicinity of the park bench, we should get enough footage. If she gets violent, do not attempt to restrain her. Slowly walk away. Repeat everything she is doing as it is happening so that we have a record of the events."

They all knew that Edna was a mistress of manipulation, having engineered the sexual harassment case against Mr. Bates, and the paternity blackmail against Anthony. They did not want this interview to go wrong. She could turn it around easily, and it was important for Anthony to have control of the situation.

He looked nervous. "I'm sure I can do this." A second later, appearing more resolute, he added, "I know I can do this. I will prove to you all that I will not allow her to railroad me again." He looked very determined; no doubt his insecurities had resurfaced, giving him much to think about. "John does not deserve what's happened to him and I am happy to play my part in getting him out."

Elsie looked at him fondly. "We'll be here to support you and I am sure you'll do fine."

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Anna was restless. She had wanted to accompany Anthony in the morning, but somebody had to go to the office. She had that responsibility now, as General Manager. There were many things that she needed to oversee that morning before she could head out and attend the trial.

Spending the evening with Mary had done her a world of good, and she felt refreshed, if not relaxed. Her skin was glowing and her nails were perfectly manicured. If only her inside could match her outside. She'd been going through Vera's investment documents when Mary came upon her, and she still had to go back and go through them again. She'd narrowed Vera's investment to three mutual funds and was close to finding out what her stock portfolio consisted of. Also, surprisingly so, or maybe not, she'd written to the tweeter troll and not gotten an answer back. If it was Phyllis, she'd gotten spooked when Anna confronted her, and thus, no response. Or maybe… the tweeter troll had nothing more to offer, and that's why she was being ignored. She wouldn't dwell on it. She had other things to worry about.

The first order of the day was conversing with James. She thought she would catch him closer to his chopper, and exchange a few words. She found him, chatting with Michael and Jack and the conversation turned to Thomas. He seemed angry and stated it so, that he wished Thomas would be found guilty. He was pontificating regarding ethics and he had a real passion in his voice. Michael and Jack could be none the wiser, but these were the words of a lover who'd been kept out of the dark and burned by the revelations that somebody they admired was caught up in something awful – something they wanted no part in. In that instant, Anna's gut could not see that James would have ever known. If he had, he'd keep to himself and avoid any conflict. Any further thought of interviewing him were thrown out.

Then, the next task was to welcome their newest team member. Anna had spoken to Daphne, on Mr. Bates' suggestion, and discussed the need for a new receptionist - somebody who could properly fill in for Gwen's open position. Edith had been helping, wonderfully, but Edith would have to go back to school, full-time, in the coming weeks, and a more permanent solution was necessary. A replacement for Thomas was also discussed, but Daphne did not have anybody that could be ready in a week. She had a candidate, but she still required to go through additional counseling and it would not help her any to be uprooted from the program so soon. Anna thought, in the meantime, that Edith could progress to helping Anthony and Phyllis while they determined a proper course of action.

Ethel Parks was introduced as their newest recruit. Daphne had not elaborated on her past, and Anna did not think it prudent or fair for her to know her new employee's background fully, but, she was aware that Ethel had come from a bad situation, as most of the women did, and that she had lost custody of a child to the authorities. At Bryant Landing, she had turned her life around and was now attempting to lead a model life and earn a solid living so that she could claim custody of her son again.

Anna recognized her as one of the women who had kissed Mr. Bates' cheek, in gratitude, when they visited a couple of months ago. That meant that Ethel had been a witness to her relationship with Mr. Bates. She hadn't thought of that implication when she readily accepted Mr. Bates' suggestion of hiring one of Daphne's girls. Daphne had dozens of residents, many whom they hadn't encountered, but she just happened to be sent one of the handfuls of women that they had.

"So, Ethel... Welcome," Anna reached out to shake the shy redhead's hand.

"Thank you ever so much for the opportunity. I promise you that I'll work very hard to deserve this help." Part of Ethel's employment package included a three month advance in salary so that she could get installed in a flat and secure some minor furnishings for her new abode. It truly was an extraordinary opportunity for a woman trying to start anew.

"I know you'll do fine. Daphne spoke of the hard work that you've done, getting your GCSE and that you've been working on online classes so that you can take your A levels in the future."

Ethel nodded, shyly.

"I have to ask one thing, though," added Anna. "Just like your entire background and where you came from is a secret that only I and Mr. Bates know, the fact that you've seen us together is a secret as well. Mr. Bates is currently in a bit of a jam."

Ethel nodded, as if she knew. "Yes, Daphne told me about his incarceration."

"Nobody here knows that Mr. Bates and I are together. Only Daphne, and now you…. and….. I would hope that you could keep that to yourself."

"Absolutely, Miss Smith. You can count on me." Ethel looked honest and Anna believed her.

"Thank you. Now call me Anna, and let's get you introduced."

Anna took her as far as Gwen, who promised to give Ethel the complete tour. As Ethel was handed off, Anna went to get some tea and overheard the new recruit talking about how ironic it was that she should work in a helicopter transport company when she was so panicked by them. Anna chuckled internally as she realized that Mr. Bates was right. He'd said that about the women after he'd extricated them from their situations. Once they'd ridden away from their harsh world in his million pound babies, they'd be panicked, remembering it as part of their past tormented existence. The only other person she was aware that had any panic for them was Phyllis, and thanks to Phyllis and her panic, she'd been able to accompany Mr. Bates on the day that Mr. Wiggleton's booking had been messed up. That was the glorious day that they'd finally gotten together. Phyllis didn't come from Bryant landing, though.

The moment she had that thought, Anna's eyed opened wide. She almost dropped the cup she had just served herself. She set the mug on the counter and held on to the edge of the sink while she continued with that idea. Phyllis was panicked by helicopters, in the same way that Ethel and the Bryant Landing women were. Could it be possible? Knowing that Phyllis had no cyber background made it feasible. Maybe she was one of Daphne's girls and that's why, in every conversation, she defended their boss vehemently. That had to be it. Anna was proud of herself. God, she was clever. She didn't know if it was relevant at all, but it was a good deduction, anyway. She was giddy as she walked back to her office with an added spring in her step. If her day was starting out this well, maybe by the time the day ended, John would be released and it would end up being glorious.

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The day was hot and humid. It had rained during the night and Anthony could feel the damp sticking all over his skin. That was a bad feeling to have when he had all of the hidden wiring underneath his shirt. His hands were clammy too, and the manila envelope holding the official looking documents was showing signs of his perspiration. Of course, it wasn't all due to the weather. He was meeting the woman who had defrauded him out of thousands of pounds and who had played with his heart strings, alleging he had fathered that beautiful little boy. It was all a lie and that thought had angered him since the day Anna had confirmed the child was not his. He'd not done anything about it, and had avoided talking to Edna at all. Thus, when Anna called him to explain the situation and that he might be John's only way out, he agreed to help. Matthew had provided a lengthy consultation over the phone, explaining all correct wording to use and how to get around whatever she threw at him. The documents in the folder were also courtesy of Matthew, the written declaration of the purported crimes Edna had committed against him. He'd show them proudly, in an attempt to coerce Edna into the truth.

He sat at the bench, where they agreed to meet, as suggested by her. He focused his eyes on the trees and he was able to discern one or two hidden cameras among the branches. Those Carson's were good, he had to admit, disguising them so that they were only seen if you knew to look for them.

"Good day, Anthony." Edna strolled by, wheeling the pram beside her and setting the baby just beyond his visual reach. She sat down on the bench, as far as possible from him. It was just like her, bringing the child, but keeping it away from him. How he felt for the poor darling, growing up with a mother like this.

"Good day, Edna." He said curtly. She had no idea what awaited her.

"Have you come with the money? You know I won't let you see Michael if you ain't got it."

"He's such a lovely chap. I feel sorry for him."

Edna scrunched her face. She didn't understand what he was getting to. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"No, I've not brought the money," he decided to address her question, "but I've brought something else." He unsheathed the documents from their folder.

He could tell Edna was gritting her teeth. He presented the first document and held it up so that she could see it.

"This is a lawsuit I intend to pursue against you. You owe me 20,000 pounds. All these documents have been drafted by my solicitor and after this conversation, I shall take them to the police station so that they can review them and on the basis of the evidence I am bringing forth, they will have you arrested for Conspiracy to Defraud."

Edna did not look scared. She was still seething. "You bloody idiot," she offered loudly as she stood up. "Do you really want to take me on in court? When it was you who raped me?"

"Let's see. That is addressed on page 2." He flipped the sheets until he had the paragraph that he wanted. "That night, at the bar, I don't remember at any point, having any interest in you. You drugged me, and moved me to your flat, then positioned me to where you would make me think that you and I had been together. If you had, at any point, thought that I had raped you, you would have immediately gone to the police. Instead, you waited three weeks, conveniently, until you could make me believe you were pregnant, to make your accusation. You were already pregnant and you were trying to con me. If you were to go to the police now, I would insist on a DNA paternity test, where, I believe, it would be no surprise to find out that the darling little chap is not really mine."

Feigning indignation, Edna swung round to grab the handles of the pram, attempting to get away. Anthony calmly stood up while she took off the pram's breaks, moved in front of the baby carriage.

"Accusing me of false rape is seen very wrongly by the Crown Prosecution Service. I suspect you know that I am talking the truth. Little Michael is not mine, and that would all but prove the false accusation. I believe that three years in jail is the minimum for what is legally called "Perverting the course of justice".

Still not admitting to anything Anthony was saying, Edna spout out, "If you didn't want to take on the responsibility of this child, you should have just said," Edna admonished as she struggled to move the pram into a different direction. "You didn't have to find a legal way of getting rid of us. I could have managed without you."

Anthony had to laugh. He was beginning to think she believed her own lies. As if she ever gave him the choice. She had pressured him and not given him a way out, ever. Edna maneuvered around him and was now moving out in the opposite direction. She wanted to get out of there quickly.

"Edna, you have played your last card. If you leave now, the police will come to you and arrest you. It will be immediate." He held up his phone. "My solicitor is waiting for my signal to make the call. Stop moving right now and I might give you a way out of this predicament."

Edna stopped. He could tell she was breathing in, psyching herself for the conversation. "What, do you mean, 'give me a way out of this predicament'." She turned slowly, still holding on to the pram's handlebar. She was ready to leave if she didn't like what she was hearing.

"I can make this lawsuit, and the police disappear. You can go on, with my darling boy, and never have to worry about me and what I could do to you for all the lies you've told me and the money you've extorted from me. We could pretend that none of this, between us, ever took place."

By Edna's pensive demeanor, Anthony could tell she was considering his offer.

"I am not saying that there's any truth to what you've said, but, just to humor you, pray tell me…. What would it take for you to go away and I never have to see you again?" Edna was blunt.

"Ah…. I'm glad you ask." He took out another sheet of paper from the manila folder. "This is a legal document that says that I will not accuse you, now, or ever, of the fraud you perpetrated against me, and in exchange, you will explain every deceitful thing that Vera Bates had done against her husband, and their company, Bates Airlift."

Edna's eyes rolled into a semi-confused state. She was trying to understand what Anthony had just said, but not quite understanding how simple of a request this was. Her diabolical mind was thinking of more sadistic or sexual acts he might have her do. "So, you want me to rat on Vera?"

"Exactly. I have reason to believe that she's the reason he is currently in jail." He took out a picture of Edna and Vera in the quaint, but ridiculously priced café that Elsie had snapped from the car. "….and don't lie to me and say that you don't know what I am talking about." He showed her the picture. "I want to know what she told you during this conversation and any others before or after. And…. After you explain it to me right now, you have to be willing to come with me to my solicitor's and write a declaration that can be used as testimony in court."

Edna looked shocked that he could procure a photograph of them, from so recent a time frame. "Have you been spying on me?" she asked with an inflection of righteous anger.

"Not you, particularly, but we were investigating Vera, right before this whole jail thing came about. You just happened to walk into the line of sight."

"And if I don't cooperate, and rat out Vera?" Edna asked sullenly, although she already knew the answer. She didn't really have a way out.

"The choice is yours, darling. You have been extorting me for money, and I can sue you to return every last penny, and have you jailed for fraud. Can you image Mikey under the care of his real father, Mr. Phillips?" Edna looked like she was finally breaking. She had a tear in her eye. Maybe she was a good mother after all, he thought. "Or you can come clean about every false thing Vera had done and that she has told you about. You have nothing to lose."

Without saying anything, Edna repositioned the pram to its original place, set the brakes and sat down. Sensing a breakthrough moment, Anthony sat down next to her.

"Fine. Let's do this."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

At a quarter to one, in the afternoon, the majority of the police staff was returning to their desks after having eaten lunch. It was no more than the usual afternoon, with the habitual amount of offenders being brought through for processing. The halls were full of people. Some just hanging out, others milling around with purpose. The mundanity of it all was suddenly shattered, and the common noises of the police headquarters were replaced with the loud and unified noise of printing machines and copiers all working in tandem. All of the machines of both floors were printing at the same time, and it was causing a ruckus. Sheets of paper were falling to the floor and being hurtled through the air, the amount of copies generated or printed, reaching into the hundreds. Those who were on their computers also realized that they were receiving spam email on their work accounts. Every three seconds, they received another missive with the same title, all from the same source.

FREE BATES read all of the headers, and it was also splashed across the pieces of paper that were coming from the copiers and printers. "Who is Bates?" yelled one of the Inspectors from homicide who was both intrigued and annoyed at the sudden onslaught against them. Many employees in the office started laughing, enjoying the craziness of it all, some started cursing at the machines to stop, and others just remained incredulous as to what was happening. Cyber security at Police Headquarters was being breached. The employees on that squad were scrambling. This was not an ordinary day.

While the majority of people on the two floors were clueless, and the employees in the cyber squad were panicking, one of the inspectors decided to open one of the emails. Sergeant Willis wondered if it was truly about one of their recent cases, that of one John Bates, or just a play on words of a sexual nature. Free Bates could be a metaphor for just about anything.

The majority of his colleagues, the Fraud team, were away, at court, pending the start of the case against this specific John Bates that he remembered. That trial was set to start soon. He sighed, having been chosen to stay behind for coverage reasons, and opened one of the emails. It was sure to be sexual, and he needed his kick for the day. He was floored to find not an advertisement for little blue pills, or one for the infamous pumps that could enlarge his penis. Instead, he found very specific instructions on how John Bates had been framed for embezzlement and exactly how it had been done. There were IP addresses, and diagrams, and explanations. This was amazing, and if it was proven to be true, then John Bates would be a free man.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

John looked around. Vera was not there, thank God, but Robert, Cora and all three of their daughters were. He felt comforted to know that he wasn't alone. His eyes wandered, continuously looking for Anna. He wondered if she'd come, and he'd asked her yesterday, when she came to see him early. She said she would be there, of course, but as determined as Matthew was to keep appearances, maybe he'd convinced her of the contrary. He couldn't argue with the logic, but his heart longed to see her, and in this moment, particularly, needed her in the courtroom with him, even if she was seated far away and playing coy indifference to him. Neither would say anything to give away their relationship, not when there was so still so much at stake.

The judge came in and sat down, with all his pomp and circumstance, as did the other members of the court. That's when he heard the unmistakable sound of high heels clacking against the wooden floors. It wasn't a large courtroom, and the sound reverberated through the room. Even the judge looked up and below his spectacles, trying to determine what the commotion was, and he could hear a shy "sorry" being uttered from behind him. It was her, of course, he could recognize her voice any day. He couldn't turn now, though, as much as he wanted to share a look with her. It would be too obvious and all eyes would be on them. Instead, he looked forward, buoyed by her presence, and feeling stronger now that she was here.

Matthew and his partner, Blake, were beside him, and they had detailed how the proceedings would be. It was just as they had explained with both Blake and the Crowne Prosecutor taking turns in arguing certain issues. They were discussing a particularly contentious topic, when Matthew's mobile, turned down out of respect for the court, started buzzing with insistence. He was receiving text messages. As he tried to read them, more came in. Matthew's face brightened and even Blake turned to look at his partner. Between eye signals, John could tell something was going on. Not a moment later, Anthony Strallan walked into the courtroom and made his way to the front, quietly, handing over a parcel to Matthew. It looked like a cassette recorder. John was pleased to see his friend, but did not understand what was happening. The interruption gave him the opportunity he so desired. It was at that moment that he turned his head and saw his beautiful Anna. She had tears in her eyes, and she was gripping Mary's hand.

His heart jolted at the sight of her, and through the haze of his thoughts, he could hear Matthew speak.

"Your honor, we'd like to introduce new evidence."

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**A/N: FREE BATES! Everything seems to finally be working for him. Will that be the case? Turn in to the next chapter to find out what will happen. The story is almost finished! Very little left to go.**

**I owe the idea of using the FREE BATES slogan to Mischka67 and Alice's Abbey who mentioned it in their kind reviews. Thank you ladies for the unwitting inspiration, and thank all of you for supporting the story with your comments, PM's, favorites and follows. I'm humbled by the nice things you all have to say.**


	24. Thank God and You

**Words – 13.6K and at least 5K of that is M rated. Enjoy…**

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Anna looked at herself through the small mirror of her compact for what had been the tenth time in less than an hour. Fidgety and unable to remain calm, she had to find something to do as she waited outside of Whetherby prison for Mr. Bates release. She'd already looked at her messages several times, had walked around her car twice, inspecting for wear and GPS trackers, and had paced the many steps between her car and the entrance. Matthew had confirmed that prisoners who had earned their right to depart were let out in the morning and it was already a quarter past nine. What could be taking so long? Leaning against the passenger door, she patted her skin with powder, attempting to cover up her bruises one last time. Half-way through the process, a ray of sunshine deflected its light differently into the mirror and Anna could tell she had more powder than needed. With a sigh of resignation, she realized it didn't matter how much make-up she wore, the remnants of her attack could not be covered up and she'd end up looking ghostly white if she wasn't careful. Just as she had brushed it on, with the opposite end of the sponge, she dusted it back off. She fastidiously put her compact away.

Finally, a screeching door in desperate need of a good oiling, alerted her that something was happening. Alone in this section of the parking lot, Anna swerved to witness the door being pushed wide open by a guard. Her heart began to beat wildly inside her. She could not see him yet, but her excitement could not be contained. She had to put her hand to her stomach to steady herself. Please let it be him, she chanted into the wind.

The guard finally stepped aside and out came the man she had been waiting for. He was wearing the same suit as the day he was arrested, except he had thinned some since the last time he wore it. If not for the belt, the pants would have sagged. He had a bit of stubble, but he was still her handsome Mr. Bates. Worry lines were etched upon his forehead, but they quickly subsided when he saw her. A huge smile erupted on his face.

She was there, his lovely Anna. He felt like he was in a trance, staring at an ethereal being. His feet were firmly planted on the ground, for no reason, almost like lead. He wanted to go to her, but he couldn't move. Her incandescent light required distance for appropriate appreciation. With a resounding thud, the door was closed behind him and the noise was enough to wake him from his dreamlike catatonic state. They were all alone with a vast swath of space between them. Desperate to touch her, he stepped forward and as he did, she did too. Anna broke into a jog, trotting straight for him. He opened his arms, and within seconds, the reunion he had so longed for had taken place.

She was cocooned within his arms and he couldn't have planned it better. He was under the impression that Robert would fetch him, but this was a dream, to have her here instead. Anna clung to him, and he to her. He was bent over, holding her, almost as an act of contrition. He owed so much to her.

She pulled apart momentarily to look at his face. "Thank God," she pronounced feebly, overcome with the emotion of the moment.

"Yes, Thank God," he answered, but rightfully added, "….and you." She'd done everything. If it wasn't for her, he'd still be in there.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he kissed her. At first, it was sweet, their lips locked as a natural demonstration of their love for each other. Then, it turned frantic. It wasn't desperation to consume their relationship; not this time. After a long absence from each other, this was impatience to feel each other close and ascertain that the other was really there. In a frenzy, he kissed her cheeks, eyes, mouth, chin… anywhere he could reach. His arms caressed her arms, down her sides, up her back, without a real rhythm. Anna reacted the same way, with added tears in her eyes. She also peppered his face with her kisses, and held his head close to hers.

"You're here," she added as she molded herself against him.

"I am," he barely responded, largely out of breath for feeling her so close to her. He couldn't have anticipated experiencing such intense feelings at this moment, but he was. After being helpless for weeks, he felt like this was the start of something great. "…..and I don't want to ever leave you."

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Tearing apart from one another had been a challenge. They walked to the car, still clasped together, and then, lingered against the car for another few minutes. They simply couldn't get enough of each other and only when it became necessary to leave this horrid place, did they finally separate. He looked horribly cramped in his seat, as this was a small car, but they still held hands. It was there that Anna put him up to speed with what he could expect. Since he was still not divorced, it was not prudent for John to go anywhere else but Robert's house, and Cora had graciously set up the guest bedroom in their home for him. There was never any doubt in the Crawley family's minds that he belonged with them. It was comforting to know that he had somewhere to go, and was wanted, as he was not sure yet what would happen with his frozen assets. He was still penniless, and the only things he owned were those that he had taken with him the day he left Vera. All of those meager belongings had been collected from his hotel room, months ago, by Robert, and were waiting for him at the Crawley home too. Robert had wanted to pick him up, but knowing that John would be staying with him, he preferred the lovebirds to have a few moments together until reality separated them. Picking him up was deferred to an overjoyed Anna.

She was supposed to bring him straight to Robert's house, and then head back to Bates Airlift. She was even dressed for work, sporting a long sleeve shirt, a smart skirt and her signature high heels. It was a Wednesday; John's actual release having been delayed from the week before, by beaurocracy, and it wouldn't be until the weekend that there would be any celebrations. Robert was planning a welcome back get-together at his pub, for anybody at the office that wanted to come greet their former boss. The invitation would only go out once John was actually released. Even though Matthew was certain it would happen, both Robert and Anna were doubtful, and John brooded in his cell, until they were all told Tuesday night that it was actually happening.

Anna would have wanted, more than anything, to have the day off and spend it with him, but, the staff was none the wiser about their relationship. Anna still had to be careful and go back to the office to attend to her duties. The team was not aware, as it was, that Anna's time off this morning had been to run this joyful errand. She informed Ethel that she was meeting with Robert to provide him an operational update, at his other office, and that she would be back by lunch. She'd feign getting notification of his release later on in the afternoon.

As they made their way into the city, John couldn't help but gaze at Anna. What he wanted most was to spend some time with her. "Are we really not able to see each other for a while?" John asked forlornly after Anna explained the plan. It was unfair that after so much time kept apart, they still could spend their time together freely. It also seemed such a contradiction that only a few months ago, he was the one explaining to Anna that it was not prudent for them to be seen together. He was keener than ever before. Even now he wanted to be with her.

Anna could sense the longing in his voice, but they must be patient just a little while longer. "We can talk on the phone, but John….. you're not divorced yet, and with Vera on the run from police, it is still not prudent for us to be seen together." Now that he wasn't in jail, it was harder for them to justify seeing each other publicly and socially. Although he was still their "consultant", and Robert and Anna had agreed that it would not be a problem for John to go to the office, it was still too soon after his release to manage it. They wanted to wait a few days before they did that. They still had to continue with the ruse that John no longer owned the company, which technically he didn't, and if he came to the office too soon, it would send conflicting messages to the staff about who the real boss was. Until his divorce came through, then Crawley Partners could sell John back his shares.

"Have they really not found her?" John enquired. When Matthew explained that Vera had disappeared, at about the same time that the trial had started, John couldn't believe it. Anthony's recording of Edna's declaration that Vera had orchestrated the fraud and framed her husband, coupled with the cyber stunt, had proven to be enough evidence for the judge presiding over the case to call the proceedings to a halt. Edna's later written affidavit, and the York police department cyber team's investigation and confirmation into the evidence provided during the cyber onslaught, was compelling enough for the charges against John to be dismissed. He was a free man, even though Vera was on the run. Everybody speculated that perhaps Edna, even when betraying the woman, had alerted her to what was coming. It was too convenient to believe that Vera had planned all along to disappear once the trial started, or as a result of Thomas' arrest. Until then, there had been no evidence against her. She had to have been tipped off.

"No, they haven't. We tracked her car north, until she reached Glasgow, then the signal went dead."

It was expected that she was in Switzerland by now. Joe had not found an account for her yet, but she spoke so brazenly with Thomas in those conversations that Anna had recorded, about this destination, that none of them had any reason to doubt that she'd already absconded. They didn't care that she was brought to justice, as long as the authorities knew that she was the culprit and John was innocent.

His wife's disappearance worried him, but not enough to distract him. He had other thoughts on his mind. Still in the vicinity of Whetherby, they were at a red light, and John leaned forward, taking advantage of the car's stop, to place a kiss on Anna's neck. He lingered there, his lips ghosting her ear and jaw. He was being selfish and at risk that Anna could condemn his friskiness and find his behavior, so soon after leaving jail, too wanton. He supposed he should be a gentleman, spend more quality time with her before attempting to know her physically again, but the magnetism between them was too much. Every flash of her eyes, even the most innocent glance, was generating friction within him.

Anna responded the way he wanted, by tilting her head towards him. She nuzzled her head against his cheek, and welcomed his touch. She breathed in. This is what she secretly wanted, to have John close to her. She wasn't brave enough to suggest it, since she didn't want him to think she couldn't be patient. A car behind them politely honked its horn. The light was green, but Anna was not focused at all on the road. Surprised, she shifted the gears, and put the car in motion.

They merged onto the A1, the road that would take them almost straight to Ripon and to the awaiting Crawleys.

Having Anna respond to him, excited John. God, he wanted her so much. They'd waited long enough. Perhaps she wouldn't be offended if he demonstrated just how much he wanted her.

Anna desired John and was pleased that he had sought her. When she pulled away, coldness, even when they were at the end of summer, invaded her. She wanted to feel his warmth again. Once they arrived at the Crawley's she might not get a chance in a long time. Boldness was the only way.

"Anna," John remarked, and at the same time, she spoke to him, "Mr. Bates." Both were trying to call the other and they did it in unison.

Both grinned at their perfect timing. Anna felt bashful and one look at him made her realize that he was feeling the same way.

Anna found the nerve to speak again. "You don't suppose," she started, at the same time that John offered, "Perhaps we should…"

They chuckled at having spoken one over the other, again.

"Ladies first," added John quickly before they did it a third time.

She felt herself flush, now that she had his full attention. She was brave a moment ago, but the words escaped her. How could she word this without sounding too eager? "Robert doesn't know when to expect us …" She struggled to get her point across and sighed. She had to keep her eyes on the road and that made it much harder. She was sure that words would not be necessary if she could just look at him. "It will be a while," she started again "before we can be together, alone."

He understood perfectly what she was trying to say. She had the same thoughts he had. They both wanted each other, and to take advantage of their precious little time.

"Darling… every minute of time I spend with you is a gift, and there is nothing I want more right now, than to be with you."

She turned quickly to glance at him and to gauge his intention. His sweet statement could mean many things, but when she gazed upon his face, his lips were open and his eyes craving her. A pang of desire went through her body.

She would get off this road and find them a place, any place, where they could be alone. A hotel wouldn't be convenient right now. They didn't have time for that. She needed to find a secluded area, some bushy field where they could be hidden by trees. Eager, she pressed the accelerator harder and swerved towards the next exit.

They made it to the outskirts of the Allerton quarry, where there were many trees right off of the main road. The place looked appealing, and John suggested, "Turn here." There were many leafy birches, all around them, and the place was deserted. Anna brought the car to a screeching halt behind a specimen with low hanging branches. They would be protected from view.

"Now what?" Anna asked as she scoped the area. She was bold, but not reckless. She couldn't mess up her work clothes by lying on the ground, and she did not have a blanket. John didn't respond with words, rather, his hand came across to her side, gently turning her head. When she was in the right angle, he brought the same hand behind her head and brought her face towards his.

His lips were on hers immediately, and an electric rush traversed through all of her nerve endings. It was so easy to succumb to her feelings for him and she wanted more, much more. With the blasted gear box between them, this would not work. The backseat would have to do. He was such a large man; the front just wouldn't have enough space for what they wanted to do.

As they continued to kiss, his hands came up to cup her face, and hers thread around his neck. She was in heaven. He groaned, and she knew it was time to move this where they might be more comfortable. It was just too cramped for her to straddle him up front.

"The back," she managed to utter when they broke for air, and he understood her intention.

He let go of her and looked into her eyes. He could see the bruise and he was brought back to reality. What was he doing? Anna had just been through a trauma, less than a month ago, and here he was, eager to be intimate with her again. Even though he had encountered no resistance, and she had suggested this, he was a brute for not even acknowledging the situation or asking if there was anything he ought to do differently.

"Are you sure?" he managed to say, still close to her. His hand caressed her cheek and lightly traced the vestiges of the bruise. "I don't want to do something you're not comfortable with. Maybe it is too soon."

Her heart warmed at his comment and her skin tingled at his contact. Every day since her attack had been busy. Come to think of it, she hadn't really sat down to internalize what had happened. In between the job and the investigation, there was no time to even breathe, much less dwell on her feelings. Maybe that was a good thing. She felt fine now, and she felt amazing when she was with him. She wanted this and she had no intention of stopping. Being with him was all she had dreamed of for weeks and the unconventional nature of this tryst was of no importance. Of course she was sure.

To demonstrate just how ready for him she was, she pulled her shirt out of her skirt and started working on the buttons. "Does this answer your question?" In no time, her bra was visible.

His reaction was immediate. Her assurances gave him the confidence to touch her again. The half-moon of her breasts peaked out from above their laced constraints and he lunged toward her. Even with the gear box between them, his arm wrapped around her, bringing her closer to him, and his spare hand pushed her bra up, revealing her breasts to him. She arched in response, and he was on them immediately, sucking at them without stopping. It felt so, so, good.

In such a restricted space, and with the way they were positioned, she couldn't even help with the removal of his clothing. She could only avail herself of his head, and she wove her hands through his hair, pulling at it whenever his deft tongue tantalized her nipples. She wanted more than his hair - she wanted to touch him and her frustration was building.

"The back, Mr. Bates, the back," she urged, and he finally responded by stopping. She was tempted to get to the back by contorting her body and throwing herself over the driver seat, as eager as she was, but, her better sense prevailed. There would be no time to mend or fix her clothing should they tear or crease. She opened the door, and saucily announced, "Meet me in the back." Looking around to make sure that they were still truly alone, she removed the shirt and hung it as best as she could on the driver side. As she maneuvered to take off her skirt, she saw him fiddling with his clothing. He took off his jacket and hung it from the passenger seat, and opened the buttons of his shirt. Her skirt came off carefully, and in no time, it was laid out safely. She opened the back door, and as she did, a shirtless Mr. Bates did too.

They both leaned in, supporting their bodies by both arms on the cushions, and met in the middle, another searing kiss bringing them closer to where they wanted to be. Anna scooted inside, without ever leaving his mouth alone, and positioned herself to where she was half-sitting, half lying against the door. Somehow, she managed to close it, and the door paneling provided support for her head. There was no way to stop and determine what would be the best way. Their mindless thinking and impromptu actions would result in whatever would be. While she had maneuvered into this position, Mr. Bates had kept peppering her lips with kisses, each one hotter and deeper than before. His body was almost fully inside, on top of her, and while he needed his arms to support his body in this odd position to not smother her, his mouth had not stopped its mission to excite her and ready her. He had started alternating between kissing her jaw, and under her neck, in the little spot he discovered drove her wild the last time they were together. Anna's hands were put to good use, and she managed to unbuckle his belt, bring down the zipper. His tented shorts were on display, and her hand reached in, taking him by surprise. His brow furrowed and he stopped his ministrations as he felt her hands caressing him. He appeared to be in divine ecstasy. He moaned, gutturally, as further proof of his approval.

"Wait, Anna," he pulled back away from her and moved back, sitting at the very edge of the opposite end the back seat. He intended for her to help him remove his clothes. The back seat was not very long at all, since Anna's car was small, thus, his long legs awkwardly dangled in front of her as he attempted to remove his pants. The door on his end remained open, and as precariously as he was perched, it was imperative to hold on or risk falling out in an embarrassing way. He grasped the rim of the car, and with the other hand, pushed the pants and shorts down over his hips. Anna pulled from her end, and she grasped as much of the fabric as she could, eager to have them off him. Soon enough, she had them in her possession and they were tossed unceremoniously into the front of the car. She then clutched at his shorts, and Anna took greater enjoyment in seeing them removed. He was lovely to look at, and Anna unabashedly took pleasure in what she saw. Her hand instinctively reached for her knickers and she rubbed herself lightly in front of him. She was wet and ready. His eyes followed her actions, and he stilled her hand, taking hold of the elastic edge of the knickers at the same time. Anna reached forward at that moment, intent on kissing him, and he leaned forward as well. It was more cumbersome this way, trying to remove them, but they had already been separated a few seconds and it wouldn't do to be apart any longer. With desperation setting in, John eased them down over her knees, but Anna was ready for him and spreading herself, making it harder to remove them the last bit. He wasn't even looking at what he was doing, as concentrated on her mouth as he was. His other arm was positioned on the floor of the car, holding him up. The fabric stretched and pulled, thankfully did not tear, and by some miracle, he managed to get one leg out, and that was enough.

He was inside of her immediately after that and their lips separated. Anna moaned at the feeling of it all, and John was just as awe-struck at the sensation her tightness produced. It was marvelous and new, although he'd already had her, but being released from prison was a rebirth of sorts, and he was living everything again as if it were the first time. He wasted no time in beginning to thrust, setting up a rhythm that didn't relent. For someone who'd been locked up without much exercise, he was masterful, showing no signs of slowing down. He came at her time and time again, hard and fast, then slow and deep. Anna's cries were loud, and the most perfect noise he'd ever heard. He dreamed of this, on those lonely nights alone, and planned this, taking her by storm, elevating her to the highest realm of pleasure. She clung to him as best as she could, one arm wrapped around his shoulders and her other arm, stretched back and against the window. The palm of her hand was splayed on the glass, and was necessary to prevent her body from being banged against it. They were producing much heat, and the moisture of their encounter was accumulating on the glass.

"I love you," she breathlessly whispered into his ear. She meant it. She couldn't imagine doing this with anybody else, ever again. She was his forever.

The next roll of his hips became a catalyst in a most earth-shattering feeling. She managed to emit a weak, "John," and her orgasm took her in a way she'd never experienced. Burning heat that started at her core was dispersed along her entire body, and a she felt intense tingling across every extremity. She must have blacked out, if only for a minute, because as the energy within her continued to swirl and she felt like she'd been transported somewhere. When she came to her senses, he was still there and they were still joined together, his heat still consuming her body.

"That was lovely, seeing you just now…," he praised her, and when she reached out to kiss him, he knew to start again.

Anna was more composed this time, having already reached her peak. She sought to increase his pleasure, and tightened the muscles of her vagina with every internal caress. The effect was as intended. In the next thrust, he arched his back, stretching his muscles as he poured into her. He moaned again loudly, as his warmth filled her completely.

She loved this feeling and loved sharing it with him. There was nothing more precious than the sensation of complete and divine union with another human being. He rested his body on top of her, even in their awkward positioning, and she wished him not to move. He was still inside her. No longer needing to support her body against the glass, she brought her arm around to hold him tighter as he recuperated. She was dwarfed by him, his head in a higher position, and his feet reached outside the car, but she still had enough space to kiss his neck and jaw, the skin closest to her. She momentarily released her grip on him to ruffle her hands through his hair, and straighten it down. It looked wild, and an errant lock of hair had fallen over his left eye. She arranged it back, thanks to the sticky moisture accumulated over his brow.

"Do you know how much I love you, Anna?" he managed to say, even when he hadn't moved an inch. He opened his eyes, and shifted his face to where he was looking at her. "More, than you'll ever know," he added as he gave her a peck on the lips. "And, I will make it up to you, in every way I can, everything that you've done for me until now."

"You silly beggar."

0-0-0-0-0-0

She was sure people could tell what she had been up to. Her neck was pink from her beloved's whiskers rubbing against her. She couldn't hide it, but she upturned the collar on her shirt, and decided to wear her hair down from her signature bun. Try as she did, the shirt was quite creased, and had become so when Mr. Bates' pants had been thrown over. Then, there was the smile plastered on her face. It was the smile of irrational happiness and physical satiation. She was glad Mary wasn't around to confront her as she had done in the past. If the others couldn't figure it out, her friend could.

"Your messages, Anna," Ethel exclaimed as she handed over a small stack of notes. Anna had to admit that Ethel was working marvelously, and was efficient. She had her doubts when Daphne explained what qualifications they had trained her with, but after almost a week and a half in the office, she was showing much promise. Anna took the notes and proceeded to her office. After reviewing there was nothing urgent, she set about to look through the notes on Vera's investments one more time. Not that it mattered anymore, really. Vera was on the run, and they had proven successfully that she was the mastermind behind Mr. Bates' alleged fraud. She had a lot of work to do in the office, but, as work for the investigation wound down, she did not have to work as many late nights as she used too. She reviewed certain investigation files at work now, and when she was finished for the day, that was it and she was free to rest at home. She had so much time now, she didn't know what to do with it.

For days, she had reviewed the files that outlined Vera's holdings and she could not make much sense of it. Anna did not have a stock portfolio, or any bonds, or any investments in mutual funds. Her wealth consisted in that beautiful land her father had left her, and the cash that she had already spent, including her investment in Bates Airlift. She didn't have any experience and for all of his intelligence, neither did Joe. For the last two days, she had taken an online course and seen countless YouTube tutorials that explained how to understand investment portfolios. It was exactly what she needed as she held the prospectus that belonged to Vera's secret holdings. She could finally decipher all of the little acronyms and codes that represented the companies.

"Mmm," she murmured to herself when she realized that the wealth was divided into four sectors. She had holdings in companies that dealt with information technology such as TYCO and CISCO, but the investment was 5%. Her net worth for those stocks was currently half a million Pounds. That was not shabby at all, even when it seemed to be the smallest portion.

Her second sector was commercial mortgage securities with HSBC, CREDITSUISSE, LLOYDS and The ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND. That was about 10%, and equaled slightly over one million pounds.

The third sector was mining, with stock in NUCOR, and BHP Billiton for another 5% and half a million pounds.

Anna wondered if Vera was smart enough to systematically invest all her Bates Airlift earnings and the advisors at Eagle Investments had helped it grow, or if she'd invested part of Callum's death compensation early enough to watch it grow. Whatever it was, Anna was impressed.

The last sector was Transportation, and by far, 80% of her wealth was dedicated to this area. She had almost 8 million pounds worth of wealth in only one company. As Anna deciphered the code listed, her heart began to palpitate. It wasn't possible to be this shallow. How could she be this treacherous? HELICOPTERS UK was her main holding. Anna did not know what that company was worth, certainly a bit more than Bates Airlift, with its larger fleet and London base, but compared to the valuation that Matthew had made of their little company, it was most possible that Vera was the largest shareholder for their biggest competitor.

Tears streamed down her eyes as she realized the depth of Vera's loathing for the man she loved. Vera's plan to orchestrate Mr. Bates' downfall had almost succeeded, and she could finally understand why the woman cared not for their little company. She would never fight for it, and in her mind, the assets would be worth more when they were sold. Had she fed them Bates Airlift secrets? Channeled customers their way? What a mystery, and the whole while, Mr. Bates had been innocent and ignorant. Vera had wanted the company to fail and it almost had.

She began to ponder how Richard might have been involved in all of this, and whether he was aware of Vera's deceit, because, why would he fight for a partnership percentage if the company was doomed? And yet, Helicopters UK gave him employment after he stormed out when she and Robert became the owners. They might never know the answer to that.

She was interrupted in her thoughts by excited screeching at the door.

"Anna, we just heard, Mr. Bates has been freed this morning!" Gwen was jumping for joy and she had dragged a reluctant Phyllis to Anna's office. Phyllis was happy, but it seemed she wasn't enjoying Gwen's loud announcements.

"Has he?" asked Anna innocently, showing as much happiness at the news that she could. She clasped her hands together, and then subconsciously ran the fingers of one of her hands across her neck. Remembering how it got so pink filled her with much joy. Feigning no knowledge whatsoever, she added, "Oh, that is the most remarkable news. Robert Crawley will be so pleased."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Oh my, I can't wait until next time," Elsie offered as another episode of Coronation Street was over. She was feeling restless and would rather be out on the street. She turned the TV off with the remote and she shifted to look at her husband, when he didn't respond. He was sitting in his recliner, completely extended back, and he was fast asleep with his mouth quite open. She sighed. This always happened when they had a quiet evening of watching the telly. She was aware that he didn't like Corrie, but he knew it was her favorite and he stayed put while she watched. He rarely kept awake, unless it was "The Only Way is Essex." Elsie didn't understand what he saw in that program, but it was his guilty pleasure and she sat through it in the same solidarity he had with her love of Corrie.

It was late in the evening, yet it was too early to be asleep. If he slept now, he would be wide awake at night and be overly frisky when she would want to sleep. She wasn't in the mood today, as much as she loved him. "Charles," she mentioned softly, and received no response. "Charles," she bellowed loudly, and it was enough to wake him up with a start.

"Wha…" he muttered incoherently, taking in his bearings and sitting up in the process.

"Corrie is finished, love."

He yawned loudly. "Is the whole Andrea, Neil and Lloyd thing still going on?"

Elsie chuckled. "That was last year. You've not really been paying attention, have you?"

He rubbed his eyes. "Thank you for waking me. I was in the middle of a nightmare."

"That deep of a sleep you were in?" she tilted her head to question such a thought. He'd been asleep for less than half an hour.

"John Bates was in it. They were getting married, and we were holding their baby in a church." He frowned and flailed his hands nervously. "A baby?... As if that wasn't enough…he took her away in one of his infernal machines to a honeymoon God knows where."

Elsie rolled her eyes. "Are you still harping on your displeasure over him? What happened to everything you said to Anna?...and by the way, that sounds quite lovely." Elsie furrowed her brow in disbelief. "If that is what is in store for her future, that would be nice."

Fully woken now, and in a defensive tone, Charles added, "I stand by what I said to her. I will accept him into the family when he can hold her in his arm, proudly. Until that happens, I don't have to like him or the situation."

"Well, he's been set free already, so you better get used to the idea of their togetherness. They have his party tonight and his divorce should be resolved in the coming weeks."

That comment struck a nerve. "Why weren't we invited to that party?" he asked in a miffed voice. "If he loves Anna so much, we ought to have been there."

Ah... he was feeling jilted. Now she understood. "…..Because darling, this is not a party she is organizing. The office is throwing the party and there is no room for us, when nobody knows about them. On top of the fact that we are private investigators and we have no supposed connection to him, yet."

His lips were locked in a pout. He harrumphed something unintelligible, which lead Elsie to believe he was more disappointed than he ought to be. She wasn't in the mood, not really, but he needed a pick me up or a distraction. She pondered her options. Maybe she could pleasure him? Seeing as there was nothing good on the telly and there was nowhere else they needed to be, she would do something about it. She could make him forget and not get overly tired herself.

"I couldn't imagine that Anna, or he, would exclude us when all is out in the open." She stood up slowly and his eyes were on her. "She loves us and he would want to keep us on his side."

He rolled his eyes as if he were processing the information and agreeing, then settled his sights on her again as she came to kneel in front of him.

"Elsie?" he asked when she reached out to touch his pants, massaging his front gently. His eyes were now wide open as he realized what might be happening.

Zipping down the obstructions, Elsie added, "Let's forget about the party."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Joe was snorting as he traced his pencil across the sheet of paper. He was brilliant, having broken the code one more time. The person didn't want to be found, and created all sorts of diversions and challenges on their server, but, he was just as good as he or she was, and now would be the moment of truth.

"Is everything all right, son?" bellowed a voice from the stairwell.

His father must have heard him whoop and holler when he'd accomplished bypassing the last hurdle.

"All is well, Dad, Thank you. Just a little excited….," he yelled from his position as he typed a message on his screen.

"As long as you're alright," stated the older gentleman. He could hear footsteps walk away.

What could he write to be surprising? Both of them had already utilized the roses are red poem a couple of times. He had to do something different. When in Rome, do as the Romans? Well, not really. Or maybe so - If he'd been hacked, it would proper for him to hack too. It could work, but it didn't have the exact pizazz he was looking for. He thought a few seconds and came up with a more fitting idiom.

**If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain. **

Yes, he liked that. He typed it in; just the same way this foreign entity had done to him a week or so ago. Surely, they would understand the meaning. He'd not heard from them in a while, so, he'd reach out. He wondered if they would be around. It was in the evening, at a time that they had chatted before. But, maybe they weren't. Since their police station prank, both had steered clear from utilizing their servers and were lying low. They had been extra careful with their plans, hiding their paths even for the most mundane of tasks.

Reminiscing about last week, he remembered fondly that they had met again, online, once more, before they put it into practice their prank and Joe found himself oddly feeling attracted. It must have been the intelligence and challenge of his opponent. He rarely encountered that sensation, if he had ever encountered a real opponent before, at all. For once in his life, Joe hoped that the mysterious person was a woman. He felt aroused, spiritually and physically, which was a rare phenomenon for him. He never dealt with real people beyond the few phone conversations with his associates and the few companies he did ad hoc work for. As much as he loved Anna, he didn't think he'd been that aroused before either.

**Are you there?** He typed when he didn't get a response within a few minutes.

There was no answer, and he felt morose. He had been looking forward to interaction. He pondered for a moment. If they had gone through his things to discover his "Anna" folder, he could look through their things too. Tit for tat, right?

Mmmm. He thought to himself as he went into the directory. There weren't too many files and everything was very orderly. He opened one titled Daphne's Girls. Within it, there were more files, each with a woman's name. He didn't recognize any of them, except the last one sounded familiar. Ethel Parks. Wasn't that Anna's newest employee? He opened up to find several documents. There was nothing he could understand. Something about a child looked after by Manchester Social Services. There was an arrest record for drug use. There were also images of a redhead with a black eye. He opened another file randomly, one for a Jane Moorsum. She was an accountant and widow, and by the look of certain pictures, just like Ethel Parks, a battered woman. There were bruises all over her arms and torso. It was maddening to see the images.

Who were these women and who had done this to them? And why did his mysterious hacker have them? He couldn't figure out the connection. He shuddered to think that this person had caused all of the physical damage to these women. He refused to believe they could. Shook by what he saw, he closed those files.

He was about to leave when he saw another interesting file. It was titled, "JB." Might that be John Bates? He ventured inside. Just as expected, it was a file regarding Anna's paramour. There were files on many things he already knew – the sexual harassment lawsuit, his company's financials, the files on the proxy tunnels that had already been shared with him, and others he didn't know. There were files of certain flights to Scotland he'd made on his personal helicopter, and another embedded file titled VB.

That could only be the one and only, Vera Bates. Apparently, this person had been tracking Vera for a long time. If he didn't already know this person was a friend, he would be worried. There were images of Vera with several men, including Richard Carlisle. Hmmm. If they had all of this information before, why had she kept it to herself? They could have finished the case a lot sooner. A flash of anger swept through him. Why share only certain things to help, when they could have helped a lot more? He closed the files, wondering what this person's true motivation might be.

Finally, there was another embedded file with the initials AS. Anna Smith, of course. There was a whole dossier with her background, the files regarding her parent's death, and information regarding Carson's Private Investigators. There were images too, ones he wished he hadn't seen – a very cozy Anna with John Bates, hugging and kissing, passionately, amid trees and mountainous terrain. They were dressed for the elements and in clothing that one not often got to use in York, so… he could only assume that they'd gone away somewhere together. He was aware that she liked him, but had not realized they were that entwined. With a sigh, he closed the files. Should he be worried for Anna?

What should he do now?

0-0-0-0-0-0

John was uncomfortable. He didn't like being the center of attraction, and while this get-together was planned in good faith, and sure to be attended by the very people he missed the most, he felt that celebrating his good fortune and release couldn't be separated from the fact that he had made many mistakes in his life and those mistakes were what had caused all of this mayhem to begin with. All his life errors were on display. Vera would be on everyone's mind and it was a constant reminder of his failures.

Still, he allowed himself to be brought to the pub. With everything Robert had done for him, he wasn't in a position to deny him anything. He'd saved his company. If Robert wanted a party, he'd be there. Cora had escorted him from the house, since Robert and the girls had left earlier to get everything ready. He already knew it was not prudent for Anna to accompany him, and Cora was being so lovely, that he didn't mind. He didn't know what to expect, really. All his prior employees were invited, and John couldn't fathom why they would bother. He knew Michael, Anthony and Gwen, his most loyal contributors were likeliest to show up; certainly Anna, and maybe Phyllis, but the others probably had something better to do. It was a bit of a surprise, then, when they entered the establishment to a thunderous applause.

There were so many faces and people there, that he was genuinely surprised. Not only had the Bates Airlift team been invited, but many of their closest business associates were there. John recognized faces from the York Economic Council, the local Aviation authorities, Patmore's Catering, his CRAWLEY and BLAKE solicitors, and the folks from the Make a Wish Foundation. Somebody - most likely Gwen- had taken all of the company's contacts and invited them. It was astonishing that this many people had come to greet him.

Amid all the chaos of the room, though, there was only one face he was interested in seeing. His beautiful angel eluded him, and as he made his way through the room and the onslaught of well-wishers, he tried his hardest to find her. Her size was working against her, as there were so many people, and it was standing room only. She was not discernible from the crowd. He was slightly agitated, until he finally laid his eyes on her. She arrived late, and he wondered if she had done it on purpose, throwing off any suspicion of their involvement. Their eyes met across the congested space, if only for an instant, but it was enough to warm his heart. She was immediately whisked away towards the bar, and since he was at the farthest end of the room, it was not possible to make his way to her without being rude to those around him, and without arousing suspicion. He was patient, and so was she.

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Anna was pleased with the turnout. She arrived later than she hoped, but she was lost trying to find parking around the pub. The area was inundated with the cars belonging to all the participants. She ended up blocks away, but content that she was finally there and would finally get to see him. Much like a homing pigeon finds its target, their eyes met briefly, but it was enough to assuage her lonely heart. She was thrilled at the turnout. Gwen, with Ethel's help, had really put effort into making this welcome home soiree as attended as possible. Throughout Mr. Bates' incarceration, she had noted every well-wisher that she had come in contact with, and had made sure to reach out to them.

"Can you imagine, Anna, that we would get such great turnout?" Gwen's eager face popped up at the entrance and with one swift motion, Anna was pulled into the sea of people and towards the bar where their little group had congregated. She didn't even get to answer that she agreed. Mr. Bates was well appreciated in the area, and the news of his liberation had been well received among their business partners.

At the bar, Phyllis was smiling effusively. Anna didn't recall ever seeing her so perky and jovial before. She was freely engaging in conversation with everybody, and was now accompanying Ethel, who still came; even though it was supposed by all that she didn't know Mr. Bates. Anna had already alerted him that she had been hired, so, at some point that evening, they would feign ignorance when somebody introduced them. Anna sensed that there was camaraderie between both women, convincing her that they knew each other from before and it was all tied to Bryant's Landing. Phyllis' file indicated she'd been hired at Bates Airlift for over two years, and she couldn't imagine Ethel being at Daphne's compound that long, but somehow, the women knew each other. Phyllis seemed protective of Ethel, at all times, and Ethel, in her short time at the compound, already treated Phyllis with great respect and loyalty. There was an undeniable connection between the two.

Daisy was none too pleased, huffing discontentedly because Alfred had apparently gotten back together with his ex-girlfriend Ivy and he had brought her along. Daisy kept with Phyllis and Ethel, instead. William was in another corner of the room, chatting with Tom, James and Evelyn, although he occasionally turned to look towards Daisy. She was none the wiser, and he tried to be discreet, but Anna, trained to look for small clues was aware instantly. He still harbored feelings for the girl, even when she'd snubbed him for a date with Alfred.

"Oh my God. I invited him and he is here," exclaimed a surprised Gwen. She headed towards the door, in an effort to intercept her target. When Anna looked, she realized that she meant Vinoth Patel, from CONOCO EXPLORATIONS. Gwen invited him? Anna wondered how that might have come about. As far as Anna knew, he hadn't even known about Mr. Bates' incarceration. Unless… Gwen disclosed that when they were close to losing the account. Somehow, though… this didn't look like a business meeting. Gwen had stars in her eyes and Anna had to wonder if that crush that Gwen experienced when they met Vinoth at the Oil and Gas convention was full on. Judging by the look in his eyes, it was more than possible. He looked absolutely smitten with her too. No wonder she was dressed to the nines. She was stunning, and he appeared attracted by her appeal. Realizing that she'd lost her chat buddy for the evening, Anna turned away, intent on finding somebody else to talk to and was surprised to see that Tom had joined her. He'd been quick about it and she hadn't noticed when that had happened.

"Anna, that's the nurse that bandaged me up at the hospital." Tom's announcement was meant for Anna to turn towards where he was pointing. She did, and realized that he was talking about Sybil. "She seems very familiar with your friend Mary." Although Robert had hired help for the evening so that his entire family could participate in the private event, Mary and Sybil were still helping organize the steady stream of drinks and were occasionally going behind the bar to supervise. At this moment, both the Crawley sisters were in conversation with Matthew, and all three were behind the bar, doing something Anna couldn't figure out. Tom's comments, Anna understood, were subtle questions. If Anna were to guess, he was keen on the girl.

"Of course she's familiar. They're sisters," responded Anna matter-of fact. She stared at Tom, to gauge his response, and she could tell he was startled.

Looking perplexed, he commented, "She's the owner's daughter, then?" Tom's mind could be easily read and he was trying to put together a mental picture of how many Crawley's there were and how they were all related.

"She is, and she's quite lovely." Sensing he liked her, but might be put off by her status as Robert's daughter, Anna acted quickly. Sybil was walking back, her intention to join Edith who was chatting with her new Bates' Airlift friends, Anthony Strallan and Michael Gregson.

"Sybil," Anna called out, even as Tom looked positively mortified as he guessed what Anna intended to do. The beautiful girl came toward Anna and Anna continued. "I believe you met my friend Tom in the hospital the other day. He was my savior."

Sybil's beautiful smile lit up the room as she remembered him. "Of course, Tom." She reached for his hand and gave him a warm smile. "I remember patching you up, and Anna told me later how brave you were."

Tom looked like he was melting. "Oh, it was nothing." He was trying to keep his cool, but her adulation was making him warm. His cheeks turned pink. He decided to change the conversation away from himself. "So…. You are a Crawley daughter too?"

Pleased with her matchmaking mischief, Anna excused herself and allowed them to continue chatting. She moved in the opposite direction, and after scanning the room, she realized that from the entire Bates Airlift team, only Sarah O'Brien was missing. How sad that Sarah still felt the way she did. She wouldn't last long if all of her cronies were gone and she wasn't trying harder to make other friends.

She saw Mr. Bates was still very much surrounded by their business associates. She let him be, and instead, sought Mary out. She found Matthew instead, sulking by himself. Instantly, she saw what the problem was. It was quite a picture to look at her friend. She was wearing one of her fashionable outfits, one that accentuated her alabaster skin and dark eyes and she was surrounded by many men. Tony Gillingham had brought a date, a Ms. Mabel Lane Fox, but left her in a corner as he swooned over Mary. Also surrounding her, were Evelyn, who had not brought his wife, and Charles Blake, Matthew's own partner. They were all being held captive by Mary's charms.

"What's the matter, Matthew?" she asked when she already knew the answer.

"Oh, nothing," he answered with a sigh.

"You, know…. You are all she ever talks about when we are together." She was guessing that he was feeling unappreciated at the onslaught of men that Mary found herself surrounded by.

He perked up immediately.

"The fact that she is surrounded by men does not mean she has any interest in them. I say you wipe the sadness off of your face, and sweetly, join them, asserting your position in her life. No scenes are needed, just, your company."

He kissed her cheek, "Thank you, Anna," and headed off to where they all stood. She observed how Mary's face lit up at his arrival, and how Mary put her arm around his waist as a natural occurrence. She leaned against him too, even when she continued to chat with the others.

Once she accomplished this, she was ready to go home. It was nice to see everybody, but it was also a turn off to observe how others had their lives in order, and could publicly chat with the people they were interested in. She desperately wanted to be with Mr. Bates, but this was not the place for it. She sighed, and turned in the opposite direction, almost colliding with Robert.

"How are you holding up?" he asked politely.

She couldn't lie to him. "There is someplace else I would rather be, and with someone else, to be honest."

Robert smirked the grin of an accomplice. He whispered, "I suspect I know exactly who you mean and what you need, so go to him. He's waiting for you."

Anna's eyes brightened upon hearing this. She canvassed the area, slowly, as not give herself away to anybody who might be watching. She couldn't see Mr. Bates anywhere.

"He's in my office and won't come down until you've been up."

Her eyes welled up with happy tears, even when the excitement abounded all over.

"Oh God, Robert. Thank you."

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She managed to make the walk slowly, so as not to arouse suspicion, but as soon as she was on the second level, she ran to the office which was open. She could see his form leaning against the desk, and as she came into sight, he stood up. He opened his arms and once again and another joyous reunion took place. Her little body was engulfed by his large strong arms and she was exactly where she wanted to be. Not letting go, he shifted them so that he could close the door behind her. When he heard the click of the lock, he couldn't wait any longer. He leaned Anna against the door. They separated only momentarily to look each other in the eye. Not a word had been spoken in all this time, and they weren't necessary to understand the love between them. They slowly brought their lips together. There was no rush, or desperation. Just two people in love, sharing a sweet moment between them. They broke for air a few minutes later, and held their foreheads against each other.

"I missed you," Mr. Bates offered.

"And I you," she answered back.

"What are you doing later?" he asked with an optimistic tone. Anna's eyes morphed from lovelorn to confused. He could see her trying to make sense of his question. It was simple enough, but maybe she thought it was a trick. "Robert has told me I can leave whenever I want." He held a strand of Anna's beautiful hair and twirled it around his finger, "I thought, maybe, I could come over to your place, if you want, and spend the night, this being Saturday and all? I can sneak back to Robert's tomorrow in the afternoon."

Anna's hands came up to cup his cheeks. "That, John Bates, is a brilliant idea."

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John couldn't contain his excitement as he pressed the button to Anna's flat. Robert stayed in the car, waiting and when the buzzer chimed, indicating Anna had allowed him through, John waved his friend off. How long ago was it that he had been at this very entrance, kissing Anna? Everything seemed like ages, prison having stunted his sense of time, but it had only been months.

In no time, he found the right door and before he could even knock, Anna swung it wide open. Still wearing her get-up from the party and without words, she hugged him again, right in the middle of the hallway.

"I can't believe you are here," she mumbled against his jacket. Her head firmly tucked under his chin, he had enclosed his arms around her too. It was a rehash of what they had just experienced in Robert's Pub Office, but it didn't matter. This was no Deja-vu. It was apparent to him, that just as much as he needed to have her close, she needed him too.

He didn't want to move, as comfortable as he was with her in his embrace, but prompted "Can I come in?" a minute later, aware that they were still in the hallway.

"Yes, of course," Anna answered as she disentangled herself. "Welcome to my home." She laced her hand in his and pulled him through the threshold.

It was just what John expected. The flat was small and traditional, but it was decorated brightly and warmly – just what two women of Anna and Mary's age would have. It was all in good taste.

She led him through to the sitting area. "I've put a kettle on. Do you want some tea?"

"That would be lovely," he answered as he took a seat on the comfortable sofa. It would quell his nerves a bit. Not that he had anything to worry about. He had desperately wanted to see Anna, but without his divorce, he still felt he was tainting her by coming to her house. It was close, though, very close to when he would have his liberty, and he wanted to share that with her, just in case she was harboring any doubts. She had stood by him through the worst of it, and she deserved some good news.

She was already walking toward him with a biscuit laden tray and two tea filled cups. "I hope you like mint," she offered bashfully as she set the tray on the little table in front of him. "The office only ever has Earl Grey stocked, so I am not sure you drink anything else. This is my favorite."

She looked so lovely just then, the light of the parlor's lamp shining in the background illuminating her golden mane and making her look like an angel. "It's my favorite too," he answered as he took in the beautiful sight. Seeing her this way grounded his thoughts. He was free from jail and he still had her in his life. He shouldn't complain about anything else, really. Not even about Vera.

She sat, and thankfully, scooted close to him. She put her hand on his leg as she reached over to hand him his cup.

"I had news from Matthew today," he mentioned as he took her offering. "…about the divorce proceedings." He might have seen Anna swallow hard. She must be anxious to find out about this, he rationalized.

"Yes?" she offered shyly. "Good News?"

"Yes, very good indeed." He took a sip and swallowed before talking. "Remember how Vera had challenged the divorce proceedings I initiated and made a counter suit? We are supposed to appear before court this week to provide our positions. Failure to appear by one of the parties constitutes a forfeiture of that party's rights."

Anna understood immediately. "And since it is unlikely that she will appear, since she is on the run, the court will favor your petition over hers?" There was so much hope built up behind that question.

He set his cup down and took one of Anna's idle hands into his own. "Yes," he added as he brought the back of her hand to his lips.

A shot of adrenaline ran through Anna's body, when his lips touched her.

"By this time next week, "he gazed at her directly. "The judge will have given a decree Nisi."

She felt warm all over to hear him say this. He would be a free man, something she desperately wanted. He kissed her hand, and kept his lips there, ghosting them across her skin. The little follicles of hair on her arm were standing on their ends. He had no clue what he was doing to her with his lips. Or maybe he did, and that was why he was not stopping. His warm breath excited her as his lips continued their path across her wrist. His progress was tantalizingly slow, his seduction calculated. This was different from the times they had been together before. The desperation of their first time against the helicopter, the nervousness of the Scottish cabin, the awkwardness of inside his own helicopter and the urgency of the car were unlike this moment. She could barely resist him anymore. The feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified as his lips reached the inside of her elbow.

She attempted to continue the conversation, even when she felt short of breath. "This is good for you, Mr. Bates." She could hardly get the words out. "It will be the end of your nightmare."

This comment brought back his attention and he looked up from his position. "My nightmare ended when you came into my life. Everything else has just been complications." John was focused and he was on a mission. Over the course of his incarceration, he had time to think and to make sense of the last months since he hired Anna. It was very clear to him, and confirmed by those around him, just how much he owed to the beautiful woman sitting in front of him. Her parents, Mary, Anthony, and Robert, each in their own ways, had confirmed that Anna's contributions were tantamount to the reason he was free and that the company was still operating. He owed her everything, and he would do his very best to make sure every day was joyful. It started today, and it started with him. It could be a chore, but in this case, he was absolutely in love with her, and the thought of making her happy, fulfilled his own selfish desires.

The words had hardly left him, and Anna filled with delight. There was so much truth in his eyes. They communicated how much he loved her and in that instant, she was ready to be his, in body and soul. She hoped the light in her eyes communicated that back to him too.

His hand came up to cup her cheek. He gazed intensely into her eyes s and when he felt the slight tremble overcome her body, he brought her head forward and joined her lips to his. Anna was an experienced woman and they had enjoyed several pleasurable joinings in the past, but there was the distinct trembling that persisted throughout this long and slow kiss. He pulled back, just a few inches, and tears were revealed to him. Not many, just a couple. He wasn't shocked by it, or made nervous. More so, he wanted to take any pain and suffering away from her. He kissed her eyes, and the tears, as often as they came.

"Let me love you, Anna," he whispered into her ear, as the pads of his thumbs wiped away the last vestiges of her tears.

The intense emotion of being with him caused her to cry. She was so happy, she couldn't explain it. There was no logic to her tears, but hearing his offer of love, made it better.

She took his hands slowly away from her face and she kissed his knuckles with as much love as possible. Without saying a word, she stood up, taking those same hands and tugging at him, making him stand in the process. She walked backwards, never leaving his eye sight, and led him slowly to her room. He followed, understanding that this was her permission for him to follow through. Still holding his hand, with the other, she opened the door. They were separated by inches, and it was too much for him.

"Will we be interrupted?" he asked as he wrapped his long arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him. They were still at the door frame, and he'd made no attempt to move them forward. He now had her flush against him, and he could still feel her trembling.

"Mary is spending the night at Matthew's," she whispered jubilantly. Internally, she thanked her flat mate for her wise sense in planning ahead. "We can do whatever we want," she added salaciously as she raised her eyebrow.

She didn't know why she was trembling. There was something about him, something in his eyes that looked determined. He was gazing at her profoundly.

"Good," he responded a mere inch from her lips. Without further delay, he lowered his mouth and sought out her lips. He started slowly, carefully mastering the depth. Her luscious lips were eager for him and they responded in kind, keeping his pace. He was in no hurry. He had a plan to love every inch of her and to bring her to pleasure, over and over again. After a most glorious minute, he stopped to allow them to breath. Anna was already quite flushed.

"Let me carry you," he whispered in her ear. He'd lament it later, but he wasn't thinking about himself. She said nothing against it. In a swift move, he supported her buttocks and pushed upwards gracefully as she gained her balance by holding on to him. She gripped his shoulders, and then reached for his head, weaving her hands through his hair. She was wrapped around his hips and he kept her close and supported with one of his arms. The other mirrored her action and he threaded his hand through her hair. He reached for her lips again. There was a different urgency now. Although he still wanted to take it slowly, feeling each other this close was having a positive effect. He felt tingly all over, and Anna was rubbing herself against him, almost imperceptibly. It was hot. Very hot. This feeling made him hard for her quickly. Anna's hardened peaks rubbing against his chest allowed him to believe she was feeling the same. He wanted her more than ever, but he would wait. This was about her.

If anybody ever asked her who the best kisser among her boyfriends had been, Anna would answer Mr. Bates. She was sure she was close to orgasm, just by the feel of his tongue against hers. She felt on fire, and they weren't even on the bed yet. She had dreamed of those lips over the last few days, ever since their tryst in the car. They were sensual, and hers, all hers.

As his mouth continued to work its magic on her, he took two quick steps, and moved away from the door. There was somewhere they needed to be. He kicked the door closed with his leg, and walked towards his destination. Gently, with Anna still clinging to him, he kneeled on the edge and moved forward. He laid her down gently. She was so slight; he had managed it without dropping her. She lay on the bed, and he was hovering over her, on all fours.

"Very smooth Mr. Bates," she added as she reached up to undo the buttons on his shirt. He let her, and focused on kissing her neck and jaw. He felt her shudder. His heart skipped a beat as he felt the effect he was having on her. He unzipped her pants and the skin of her belly was made available to him. He slid up the form fitting cashmere jumper until he could see her belly button and gently lowered his lips to this region. She had beautiful skin, evenly colored and so very soft. He trailed kisses upwards until he was met with the rigid form of her lace bra, under the jumper's pooled folds. Anna stilled her hands when she felt him stop too, and John took the opportunity to free her of the garment. He swept her top over her head and tossed it. Free of the obstruction, he continued the kisses over her breasts and to the hollow of her neck. He was generous, leaving no amount of skin untouched.

Mr. Bates was anything if not thorough. She didn't know if she'd ever felt this alive, or this loved before. There was an added intensity to his touch that was new. And now…. He was touching her breasts. He reached back, and unhooked her brassiere, pulling it off with one deft move. No longer able to support himself on all fours, and still thoroughly appreciating her chest, Mr. Bates settled beside her. From this vantage point, he was able to cup them gently, and start massaging them. She never considered herself a chesty girl, she was actually very small breasted, but his hands, in tandem with his mouth, worked miracles. He made her feel like a Victoria's Secret Angel model, with so much more to offer. When he wasn't licking or sucking, he was gently squeezing. This was ecstasy.

Finished with her breasts, John decided it was time to get rid of the rest of her clothing. With pants, it was just easier if they were pulled from the bottom, and he moved off the bed, to have a better vantage point. Anna hissed when he left her side and her eyes bore her disappointment at the loss.

Anna had fallen victim to the perfect seduction. She was largely inert, having only achieved the unbuttoning of his shirt. She had barely grazed the inside of his chest with her fingers, lured by the smattering of hair that became visible to her with this action. It was a perfect chest, warm and welcoming, but now gone. Her lover had moved away and was positioned at her feet. Her shoes had been discarded, and he was now holding on to the cuff of her pants. With a gentle tug, they were pulled off and thrown back. He didn't say much, but he raised his eyebrows when his fingers gently reached for the elastic band of her knickers. His gesture was sweet and playful, and surely meant to distract her. It worked. Before she knew it, he'd brought them down all the way to her knees and was pulling them around her ankles.

He missed her. Making love to her in Scotland was what he had enjoyed the most, when they had taken their time and when he had been able to appreciate every curve of her body. While that reunion made him nervous, not having had any proper sex in ages, he felt empowered today and very sure of himself and what he was doing. He wanted to please her and bring her to new levels of enjoyment. Anna had sat up, and he took advantage of this new position to kiss her again, deeply. Anna moaned and he loved that sound. At the same time, he managed to massage her legs, and inner thighs. His fingers caressed her skin gently, barely grazing with his touch. She was panting, eager for more. Her muscles tensed the closer he came to her core and he knew where he wanted to go. When he was convinced she was aroused enough, he pushed her back down. He parted her folds with his fingers, confirming she was ready. He surprised her when after this, he brought his face down to be level with her, and his tongue started with his ministrations.

It was glorious, every minute that his tongue was upon her. He reached as deep as he could, then with small strokes, would brush against her clitoris. Anna appreciated that he used his arm to hold her down, as every stroke against her would make her arch and writhe. He couldn't begin to imagine what his touches were doing to her. She could hardly breathe; there was so much rush of emotion coursing all around her. And then, it happened. His skilled caresses sent her into the abyss and she lost all sense of time and place. She was floating, marvelously, lost to the world as she reached her peak.

John observed as Anna lost her bearing. She was expressive, highly so, and it was easy to discern whether he'd done a good enough job in making her lose herself. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing changed and she stilled. He lay beside her as she recuperated. The silky strands of her hair, spread out on the pillows above, beckoned him, and he gathered a fistful to breathe in her scent. He could perceive a coconut essence, mixed with her own sweet aroma. She was intoxicating, all of her.

Anna could feel her hair being handled and she felt the tiny electric pulses all over her scalp. She loved being coiffed and pampered at the salon, and receiving scalp massages. This, although not the same, was producing similar results. She was just going from pleasure to pleasure, greediness seeping through every pore. "You'll get me wound up if you continue to do that," she offered between breathes. She could already feel the stirring at the pit of her stirring responding to this new stimulus. Even though she'd already had her pleasure, she wanted him, all of him.

"Good," was all he answered as he leaned over her. He peered into the deep blue pools of ocean that looked at him with fierce love. Vulnerable to his touch, her eyes drew him in, and he reached over to kiss her again. Anna responded well, claiming his mouth as hers. It was not long before he was on top of her. He felt uncomfortable, the way he was, all dressed while Anna was an incarnate Venus de Milo on this bed. Now that he'd taken her to a level of ecstasy, what he most wanted was to feel her skin against his. She had the same need, as her hands reached up to massage his exposed chest.

He was overdressed, and Anna wanted his clothes off immediately. She was aching terribly, inside, and the need for him grew with every caress, every deft touch. The combination of his kisses and fondling of her hair had her crazy with want for him again, and she needed to get that shirt off so that she could have access to his broad shoulders, and strong torso. She loved that about him, his hairy chest, and she longed to feel all of it against her. She pushed off his shirt, having unbuttoned it before, and it went willingly. His weight on top of her had him positioned so close to where she needed him, and she was able to reach down and tug on his belt, unlooping one side. She maneuvered quickly, even if she wasn't looking, and it was open in record time. Much to his amusement, she managed to lower the pants, together with the shorts and move them to mid-thigh. He was exposed to her, even if the pants were still there.

Her actions caught his attention and his longer arms pushed them down further, until they were pooled at his knees. Anna was already touching him, bringing him closer to her entrance, and out of desperation, he kicked them off, hurtling them on to the floor. She was eager, and guided him to the perfect position where he could just push. He was cradled between her thighs, and her legs were resting above his hips. It was perfect how they just fit. He wanted to be inside her just as much as she did, but, before he did, he sought out her hands, and positioned them over her head, on each side. Intertwined and clasped with his own, her eyes were opened wide and focused on him. She was exactly how he wanted to have her, so open and so free, so willing to be with him. He would give her his best, and without further delay, gazing into each other's eyes, he pushed forward.

Anna couldn't remember a more thrilling feeling, that of being filled so completely by the man she loved. It had never been like this before. She'd had fun, and it felt great, but the emotional fulfillment hadn't ever accosted her the way it was taking over now. Her breath hitched multiple times as he made his way inside and she found herself trembling again. It was overwhelming, the love she had for this man, and how he was making her feel. Just looking at him also fueled her emotions. He closed his own eyes, his ecstasy taking over at the sensations her narrow passage was providing. It was a perfect fit, between them, and when he looked so fulfilled himself, Anna wanted to cry.

In all his life, John realized that he had only ever made love to Anna. All the women before her and Vera, he'd had sex with them, and enjoyed himself, but this was not the same. Even his other times with Anna were different too. Their first times together were explosive, and like magnets, they were drawn to each other. In the car the other day, he had missed her like crazy, after his long time in jail, but today felt different. Today he felt like he was giving her his life, in the very actions he would undertake, and as he looked into her eyes, he knew she felt the same way. They were ready to make magic, to come together as one in body and soul.

John rolled his thighs, as he continued to look at Anna, and both started their rhythm. For every thrust John produced, Anna's hips matched him. His lips reached down towards her, and they indulged in several kisses, while their bodies danced with each other. They took turns moaning, when the feeling became too much. They moved positions of legs and arms, at intervals, and the feelings intensified. He wanted Anna to enjoy this, to feel good again. When he saw Anna react and the feelings start to take her, John gave in to the feelings too. They both finished, almost together, and it was the best feeling ever.

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In the darkness of the Carson's home office, a wall clock read 5:00am. The sun hadn't risen yet and the house was still. It was Sunday morning and everybody was asleep. "Ping," sounded one of the GPS devices. "Ping," it repeated in a rhythmic manner. A subtle green light reflected the movement of one of their trackers. On the large map, a car was moving southward. Silent and dormant for several days, it was brought to life. Vera was on the move and still very much in the United Kingdom.

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**A/N: I am very bashful anytime I write M. It does not come natural to me. (Picture me with the proverbial paper bag over my head) I owed you all for your patience while Mr. Bates was in jail. I had more than one request for reunion smut in my reviews and PM's, and I hope it met everybody's expectations. You know who you are ladies…**

**Bates is free! Where the hell is Vera? Who is the mystery tweeter and what is their story? Stay tuned for those answers in the next chapter. **

**Posting chapter 23 was an exercise in frustration as was down for so long immediately after. I felt cheated. Thank you to all the lovely reviewers who came back after that incident to leave your thoughts. I appreciate you so much! **

**On an unrelated note, I am on vacation and about to take my first helicopter ride ever, so I will be able to determine if like Anna, I take to them easily, or if I am like Phyllis who is panicked by them. I'll also get to see if some of my M scenes are logistically possible from how I wrote them. LOL. **


	25. A Ruse to Remember

**Words - 10.8K **

**I ended up splitting this chapter in two because I was already close to 16K words in the original version and it would have been hard for you to read. Finally, some answers….We are getting close to the end! Enjoy.**

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John burrowed under the covers as the light of the morning seeped through the curtain's opening. Anna was curled up beside him, her head, on his chest, resting underneath his chin. She was fast asleep, tired from the events of last night. He laid a kiss on her head, without disturbing her and perused the contents of the room. It appeared smaller than it did at night. The bed was a full size and it took up most of the space within. There was a cupboard directly in front of them, and a chest of drawers next to it, with a TV. At the headrest level, there was a bedside table with a picture on it of a much younger Anna, with what he imagined to be her parents. The picture was not high quality, but the similarity with her mother was uncanny. The last thing that caught his attention was a chair, on the opposite side of the headboard, closer to where Anna lay. The room was neat and well kept, but the chair had a stack of framed pictures propped up against it. They looked oddly familiar. He could barely make it out, but it did look like the picture of him with his fellow graduating friends. Callum was in that picture, and they were all wearing flight suits, excited to start their careers. He wondered why Anna had it.

He felt her stir. It was very subtle, and her breathing pattern changed. She must have been aware that he was already awake, because she began to pepper his chest with little kisses.

"You're awake, darling," he stated as she continued to kiss her way up to his chin. She hadn't shifted her position, but was craning her neck to reach him. Her actions were causing him to tingle all over.

"I am," she whispered back.

He gingerly traced his fingers over her back and he felt her shiver in response. He was amazed at her receptiveness so early in the morning. He continued his downward path, enjoying the feel of her silky skin against his fingers. Her hip bone jutted upwards and he took great care in massaging it gently. He had a mission, and he was getting close to his target.

Anna's hands were exploring just like his were. She had maneuvered them under the covers and was caressing his lower belly, then sliding her hand all the way down to his inner thigh. She was teasing him.

When Anna spoke, he could hardly contain himself.

"I know exactly what I want to do now." Her hand, under the covers, had found the elastic of his shorts and she reached in.

John rolled his eyes back, as her hands found his morning hardened length. The feeling of her smooth hands on him was exhilarating. She massaged and rubbed him with purpose.

Her hair was a mess as she sat up beside him. At some point during the night, she had put on a pajama top that was all silk and lace, that reached to her mid-thigh and was held by two thin straps over her shoulders, exposing her sexy clavicles. It was very loose, and every time she moved, he could see her pert little breasts jiggle. Amidst his pleasure, he had enough focus to bring his hand up to the hem and slowly pull it up. The vixen was wearing no knickers with it, and the sight of her, like this, drove him wild.

By now, Anna had brought down his shorts and he had cooperated by raising his buttocks to help her with the process. They were both now completely naked, and completely ready to be with each other again. They were making up for lost time and no other words were needed.

They kissed for the first time that morning, and when their lips came together, it brought another electric shock between them. John was lying on the bed and Anna was hunched over his torso, with her body still sitting beside him. She was supporting her weight with one hand, while she used the other to massage all the parts of john's body that were within her reach. The tips of her breasts were teasing the hairs on his chest and the tingle that was produced was making him keener to have her. He reached up to touch them, and Anna's body recoiled at the contact. He held on and massaged the tips, and Anna's breath hitched at his constant attention. The position she was in, though, was not comfortable. She pulled back her head, and in control of the situation, suggested an alternate course.

"Sit up against the headrest." She ordered, and he did as he was told. His back was cushioned by the multitude of pillows that he found there. Anna wasted no time in putting one leg over his, and straddling him. She was sitting on her haunches with his engorged sex between them.

"Last night was fantastic," he told her when they were both somewhat level. He didn't wait for an answer and kissed her. Anna had raised herself a few inches to have her face almost aligned with his. They were perfectly level. "You're amazing, Anna," he repeated as he kissed her over and over. "Truly amazing."

The love John was trying to relay to Anna was coming across without him having to say the words. She could feel it in the depth of his kisses. His smooth lips had sought hers out, again and again, and there was something religious about this reunion; yesterday's and today's. They gave themselves to each other, freely and wholeheartedly. Nothing could stand in their way and their reunions were sacred.

Anna pulled away to look at him. She cupped his cheeks, with both hands. "Your time of suffering is over, John Bates. I love you, and to me, you are perfect."

Her words were the medicine he needed to here. After almost two decades of feeling worthless, to have a beautiful and intelligent woman in love with him, renewed his spirit.

Anna let go of his face and with her hand, positioned him at her entrance. She sank down, as she held on to his shoulders and John held on to her hips. They were now joined, together. Their lips found each other again, and in a rhythmn they learned from each other, moved together in perfect harmony. He filled her deeply, in this position, and he raised his hips, every time she came down on him, adding to each other's pleasure. She didn't hold back, groaning with each internal caress and it wasn't long before he saw her face contort. Adding his own strangled cry, he came again, joining her on this journey of redemption.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I can't believe she loves me, Robert." Saying good bye on Sunday afternoon had been a difficult task. The fantastic sex was one thing. Besides the two times on the bed, Anna had managed to arouse him a third time and the kitchen counter was put to good use as they prepared lunch. Their lazy time was just perfect. There was plenty to discuss and it was important to spend time just together. They cuddled on the sofa and let the time pass. Neither of them had to try. It was just natural between them, and they fit to perfection in every aspect of their lives. "She's just fabulous, and I feel like I don't deserve her."

"You do deserve her and you deserve to be loved mate," Robert offered as he served John a diet coke at the bar. "You need to let go of all of your ghosts, and get on with your life."

John contemplated what Robert was saying. Now that he was out of prison, he had to figure out what his plans should be. Matthew had communicated that his personal assets would be unfrozen, even if the Bates Airlift operating account would not. Since Vera was co-owner and the authorities were now looking at her as the perpetrator of the fraud, they still could not liberate the account for usage. Having his own funds, though, would finally give him control of his own destiny. With a car, he could finally move around. With his cash, he could purchase a bachelor flat to live in. He could put the house on sale. He appreciated what Robert was doing for him, but he didn't want to outstay his welcome.

"I know. I long for the divorce to be over, for the assets to be unfrozen and for me to get back to work."

Robert cracked a smile, but there was some doubt reflected in his eyes.

"It shouldn't be much longer." He swiped at the counter and sighed.

John sensed his friend's discomfort, or obvious hesitation. "Is there something worrying you?" he asked.

Robert looked up. "I was wondering… what are you going to do about Anna when we flip ownership?"

"Mmm… that." John scratched his head. "It's been troubling me as well. We haven't spoken about it."

Robert shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be in your shoes."

"It would be rude and ungrateful of me to oust her from this position, even if it was meant to be temporary. She's doing such a great job, too. I could really use her talent to help turn things around."

"Then, what is the problem with keeping her?...That is… if she wants to stay."

"Can I really do it?" he asked himself in contemplation. "If Anna and I continue on the track we are on, and we remain together, can I really continue working alongside the woman in my life?"

"Well, you did it with Vera," Robert offered matter of fact.

"I know…. And look at how that turned out." John shook his head. "What happens when the team finds out we are together? Our life will be on display. If one of us is upset, the others will notice." He sighed. "Vera made it really uncomfortable for all of our employees. I don't want that to happen again."

"Anna is not Vera. Not by any account, John." Robert offered in a sing-song manner.

John acknowledged what he was saying, but still appeared skeptical. He took a sip of his drink, and then addressed Robert again.

"You're part owner now. Your opinion counts. What would you do?" He expected an answer.

Robert's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't expected the question. Especially since John couldn't know how small his contribution actually was. He didn't want to lie to his friend and he didn't like being put on the spot.

"I think that time will give you the right answer and you shouldn't rush into anything." That was as neutral an answer as he could muster.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Are you going to tell him?" Robert's voice came over muffled on her mobile phone and she couldn't tell if he was upset, or worried. It was late in the evening, still on Sunday, and he must be at the pub. She could hear background noise.

"Tell him what?" Anna was being coy. She knew exactly what Robert meant, but she wasn't prepared to answer. She didn't really have much of a plan.

"That you own 5.9% of his company. He's out now. I know you didn't want him to know before the transaction took place so that he couldn't stop you from investing, but, sooner or later, we will have to flip the ownership and your position within the company will be questioned."

Anna told him the truth. "I don't know how. I've thought about it and nothing seems right." Although they had spent a wonderful day together, she hadn't wanted to ruin it with the revelation.

"Anna, do you want to stay at Bates Airlift? Or do you want to go back to being a private investigator?" Robert had overheard from Mary more than once that Anna would rather find a more fulfilling job. He knew what she would prefer. His allegiance to John could never be eroded, but even Robert couldn't deny that Anna's scheme is what really saved Bates Airlift, and that this was the reason his friend still had a company to come back to. He would support whatever she wanted.

"I don't want to be a private investigator, but this is John's company and I don't want to interfere." Anna's life changed when she started working at Bates Airlift. She felt alive when she was there. She definitely did not want to leave, but she provided the money to save him and his company, not to buy herself a position within. If he did not think she should be there, she would leave, and maintain her role as investor and partner only. She just wanted him to have control of what was his again.

"Anna, darling…." Robert's voice was sweet and fatherly. "This is now your and my company too. We may be small investors, but it is ours and it was this contribution that enabled the company to continue running. Don't belittle your share."

Anna's shaky voice agreed with Robert. "You're right. I just don't know how to go about it."

"Would you like me to tell him?"

Anna thought about it for a few seconds. It would be the easiest option. They were a couple, though. He ought to hear it from her. She ought to be able to share anything with him if they had any future together.

"No. I will. Just give me a few days."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Jesus Christ, muttered Vera as she hid behind a large pillar. She wasn't noticed by the security guard that had been following her. She peeked and saw that he was nowhere to be seen. She rested against the wall as she calculated her next move.

She had laid low for several days in Scotland, staying at an inconspicuous bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Glasgow. She had about 10,000 pounds in cash, thankfully, as all of her UK bank assets were now frozen. She still had her investment account under her maiden name, but she wouldn't access that until she was in Switzerland. The police were none the wiser about that account, nor the one in Zurich. As long as she could leave the country, she would be fine and she would still have enough money to live placidly. Getting out, though, would be a challenge.

Just a few minutes ago, she had attempted to board a ferry from Dover to Calais. She did not want to fly, thinking that her name had probably already been added to a UK fugitive list that could be accessed by the airlines. She didn't have that many choices - the ferry to Dublin or the ferry to Calais. As long as she showed that she had a passport and that it was valid, she should be able to board one of those boats, and once she was on foreign soil, move with freedom. She would buy a first class train ticket from Calais, all the way to Montreux, where she already owned a small chalet on the outskirts of town.

That is what she had thought, until the Dover ferry agent looked at her passport and asked her to wait. He picked up the phone. She should have played it cool, he could have asked her to wait for just about anything, but her nerves got the better of her, and she snatched it from his hand and ran as fast as she could. She was only traveling with a small carry on, and a large purse and she managed to keep those with her as she ran across the terminal and out into the street. The commotion of her sprint across the ferry terminal's grand hall caused the security guards to start on their pursuit of her.

Now, with her back to the wall, she sunk to the ground. She felt defeated. She couldn't go back there. Maybe they had upgraded their systems and were tracking fugitives like the airlines were. Or if they hadn't upgraded their systems, her rash reaction prompted the pursuit. They were bound to have that on tape and now her face would be seen. Damn. She should have left York the moment she knew that Thomas was arrested, not when Edna had called her. And thank god that the blonde dimwit had. Without that warning, she might have been arrested and she wouldn't want to give John Bates that satisfaction.

She wondered how he had managed it. She didn't think he had it in him. Was that Matthew Crawley's investigative team that good? She knew it hadn't been Thomas to rat out their very complex fraud scheme. They had made a pact and she believed he wouldn't give her up. Matthew Crawley must have hired investigators for John; the same ones that found the evidence of her liaison with Richard. Maybe that sod did have some balls left in him.

Now he was out. She'd read it in the online York periodical when she had googled her name to see what the press was saying. He had been vindicated. That bastard – especially after what he did to her brother. He still owed her and Callum and she wondered how she could use him to gain her freedom. Maybe he could help her just one more time. Vera grinned as an idea formed in her mind. She would find him and he would help her. She still had her car. She would go back to York.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_**Are you there?**_

Phyllis looked at the screen on her server's monitor. That Molesley fellow was writing to her again. She should have known that he would crack her code. Of course he would. The majority of the cyber experts she knew would not let a challenge like that go. And he was good… very good.

He'd written to her yesterday, when she was at the party for Mr. Bates. It was really rare that she would be out on a weekend evening. She mainly stayed at her flat and worked on her projects. She preferred to stay at home, fed up with life, and tired of the people that had made her life miserable. She also had too much to do. She scanned the multiple camera feeds she was taping and supervising. She'd added another two in the last week, and they now totaled 20. She couldn't complete her mission if she was always outside.

She returned her gaze to the screen. If he had written to her again, that meant that he'd already perused her archives and was wondering what all of those files were. She was tempted not to answer. She didn't want to have to explain herself. He was a good fellow, though, and a good ally. With a sigh, she relented.

**Hello Mr. Molesley. I am, and you found me.**

It was a rash decision to answer him, spurred in part by her need for a friend. She was very lonely, and a cyber-friendship was something she could handle. Maybe.

_**I know who you are.**_

Mmm, she thought. It was possible, although she'd changed her name after her stay at Bryant Landing. There were few, if any records at all, of the existence of Phyllis Baxter. Only Daphne and Mr. Bates knew her real name, Raquel. She'd erased as much as she could of that life too.

**I knew you would, sooner or later. What is my name?**

Better make sure that he did know.

_**Phyllis Baxter. You work for Mr. Bates. I suspect that isn't even your real name.**_

So, he did know.

**How did you find out?**

He was a fast typer. No sooner had she posed the question, he was already answering.

_**You forwarded something from your office email account to your personal email. You deleted it, but I was able to reconstruct your rubbish file.**_

She felt the color drain from her face and her blood pressure drop. Such a stupid mistake. She had been so careful to avoid detection and now her cover was blown.

He added another thought when she didn't answer.

_**Anna suspects it is you, but I will not say anything.**_

Her heart leaped. There was no code between cyber hackers, although she wasn't one by the true definition of the word. She would rather be considered a cyber-vigilante, seeking justice for all of the wronged women she knew. Yet, Mr. Molesley was honoring an unspoken protocol, that you did not give up your foe or friends. You utilized your skills either for good, or bad, but did not mess with those of your same skill level, as it could come back to haunt you. Bless him. She felt somewhat more relaxed.

**Thank you. I know she does. She confronted me, but I played coy. I want to help you and her, but I do not want to be identified. **

_**I can respect that, but can you answer a few more questions? Is your debt of gratitude, for Mr. Bates?**_

Definitely. Most Certainly. She owed him, Daphne, and those who intervened on her behalf in London. He had flown her out of there, immediately, before her oppressor had found her, and then given her a job when Daphne and team had helped rehabilitate her. This job was now allowing her to finance her personal mission – that of tracking and keeping away the scum that had subjugated all of the women that Daphne sought to help. She had cameras on many of them, making sure they were where they ought to be, far away from where the women were finally placed. She'd even provided evidence for crimes committed, locking some of the men away for good. She wouldn't be finished, ever. As soon as she concluded one case, Daphne had another woman at the compound to help. She didn't know them, but she was a sister in pain, and those in this sisterhood helped each other.

**Yes. He helped me when I needed help the most. **

That was all she would say. She did not need to elaborate.

_**You knew all along that it was Thomas and Vera. Why not tell him? Why make us investigate?**_

Of course he would ask that. Why wouldn't she just tell Mr. Bates or Anna? Thomas, of course. He was the sole keeper of her own sad story. Due to his pentiant for perusing porn sites, he had come across her own very shameful secret.

Richard Coyle had befriended her and made her think she was special. He courted her, showered her with gifts, and asked her to move in with him. She had a good job, working with MI6, as a junior cyber analyst. She would have grown with them, career wise, and risen through the ranks, but he changed when she moved in with him. He beat her where nobody could see, and he tied her to the bed, making her his sex slave. She missed a lot of work and was eventually sacked. Her mother had raised her to have self-worth, but he manipulated her and she believed him when he said she was worthless. Her humiliation was complete when he brought in strange men to their house to have sex with her, as a gang bang, and he taped it all. Her images were all over the internet. Since her departure from Bryant landing, she had worked tirelessly to hack and disable every website that hosted that image, and she had even gone as far as wiping out the hard drives of individuals who had it stored in their personal computers. Somehow, though, one had eluded her, and he had found it and he had blackmailed her. He was so smug and she was so embarrassed. That cretin had saved a paper image, one she couldn't erase, and told her that if she didn't want Mr. Bates and the office to see it, that she would turn a blind eye to whatever she saw happening. She'd already started to suspect Thomas' fraud, but his threat was powerful. She didn't want Mr. Bates to see her that way, or to be embarrassed for having hired her. He knew she was in a bad situation, that she'd escaped wearing men's clothes, when Richard had burned all of hers, but he didn't know the particulars and she would rather keep it that way. A big part of her felt remorse that he had to go to jail, but she felt vindicated that all of her work had helped Anna make sense of the information.

**I was in a difficult position. I cannot say how, but if I could have, I would have. **

If she had told Mr. Bates, Thomas would have known that it was her. Instead she tried to warn him. She tried, she really did. She sent him anonymous notes to get him to suspect and he finally had, hiring Carson's Private Investigators. She knew about Vera and Richard too, as she had been tracking both for a long time. They were no good. Neither of them. That was the reason she was able to help Anna. That Saturday that Anna had been attacked, she tracked him driving towards the office and knew Anna would be there alone. He was a pervert and Anna wouldn't be able to handle him herself. Armed with nothing more than pepper spray, and living ten minutes from the office, she was pleased that she could make it in time and that it had not come to the worst.

_**What of Anna? You've been tracking her. Why?**_

Sweet Anna. The more she worked with the young lady, the more she liked her. She was honest, straight forward, and very caring - but, she didn't know that at the beginning. Anna's suspicious behavior, when she caught her snooping around, worried her enough to investigate her background. She'd found out about her parents, and who her Godparents were and realized early on that Mr. Bates had hired her. She had gone candidly to him, worried about what she was doing there, and he had assured her she was no trouble at all. He hadn't explained that he had hired her, but he led her to believe that having her there was something he wanted. Just to be sure, she had tracked her for two days, and during that time period, discovered the liaison between them. The closed circuit security cameras at the Bryant Landing compound further confirmed their relationship. She kept those images, just in case. She would protect John Bates at all cost and after reading about his sexual harassment settlement with Edna Braithwaite, believed keeping a copy of the picture would be helpful for him in the future, should Anna not be who she appeared to be.

**I was protecting Mr. Bates. At first I worried about her, and I tracked her, but when I realized he had hired her, and her intentions were apparently good, I decided to help. **

That must have appeased Mr. Molesley because he didn't ask any other immediate questions. If he was finally over his doubts, perhaps they could move on to a more pressing topic. Vera.

Vera left Scotland Sunday morning and her car was now parked in Dover. She was attempting an escape at the ferry to Calais, no doubt. Just in case, she emailed a very official looking document, with her picture to the ferry's email servers, and had all the networked printers at that location generate a copy. If the ferry authority had their act together, if she tried to board, she would be caught.

She should tell Mr. Molesley. He could help her now that they were allies. It would also deflect the conversation away from her and her many secrets.

**I should tell you, I've tracked Vera to Dover. I generated some difficulties for her to board the ferry to Calais. I see no arrest reports, so, I expect she will either try to go to Liverpool or lay low again. **

His answer came immediately.

**You did?**

He seemed pleased and that gave her a proud feeling.

**Yes. I have a very powerful GPS on her motor, much more powerful than that used by your employers. Their battery probably already died on that device. **

He wrote back a strange emoji which Phyllis could only guess was meant to be a smiley face. It was immediately preceded by additional comments.

**What should we do, love? How can I help?**

Good man - Just as she expected. She also got an unexpected chill when he called her love. It was sweet, or rather, he was sweet.

**Nothing for the moment. I will share my feed with you. Let's see what her next step is before we move to take a more decisive action.**

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Charles, Come quick," bellowed a surprised Elsie when she walked into the home office. Vera's dormant GPS signal was pinging softly and the green dot was visible on their tracking monitor. She zoomed in to see the coordinates as swiftly as she could.

"What is it?" he responded as he arrived into the room. At the precise moment, she was able to pinpoint the quadrant where Vera's car was driving through.

"It's Vera. Her GPS signal is active again. Maybe a bump in the road jolted the battery awake."

Charles eyebrows waggled excitedly. "That is surprising. Once we lost the trail in Glasgow, I didn't expect to pick it up again." He looked over Elsie's shoulder. "Where is she now? I would have thought she would have already fled the country."

"She's heading north. She was apparently down South because she is close to Stamford and just passed Peterborough." Elsie traced the pin points from her historical location.

"Is she heading back up here?...to the scene of the crime?" Charles rubbed his temples. It was all too confusing.

"If she is, she will be here in a couple of hours….Only time will tell, love. In the meantime, let's tell Anna and she can decide if she alerts the authorities and Mr. Bates, or not." Elsie's head fell back to look at Charles who was still behind her.

Taking advantage of her position, he reached down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're right. Let's let Anna handle it."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Anna, Can I talk to you?" Sarah stood at the door, nervously. The woman's jittery exterior matched her very own mood. Mr. Bates was due to come to the office with Robert any moment now and she really would have preferred to not be busy so that she could experience the whole arrival uninterrupted.

Sarah sensed the hesitation, although no words were said. "It's urgent and you'll want to hear this." She stepped in without waiting for approval and closed the door behind her.

Anna smiled although her insides wanted to yell. "Go on, then," she said neutrally.

"I appreciate that you've kept me on despite your knowledge of my past." There was not a lot of gratitude in her demeanor to match her words.

Anna could not tell where she was going with this. "Yes, we made an agreement. You kept your word, and I kept mine," she added. Internally, though, Anna reasoned that Sarah was going to have to step up both her productivity and team attitude if she was going to be staying permanently.

"Whether you believe it or not, I want to stay here. I don't think I could find a better situation at my age and with my studies, elsewhere."

If Anna's jaws weren't attached, she was sure that her bottom mandibule would have dropped to the ground. Sarah wanted to stay here. Really? She had a peculiar way of showing it.

"That's nice to hear, although…. You do all possible to alienate yourself from the others and you continue to speak ill of Mr. Bates."

Sarah turned pink. "Well, he's gone now. And I will try harder with the others."

Anna sighed. She wondered what Sarah's reaction would be once the entire team discovered that his absence was only temporary. Yet, Anna felt slightly exasperated. She was in here, with Sarah, when Mr. Bates might already be on the outside. Did Sarah really think this was important? What was so urgent?

"But, that's not all." She noticed that Anna was losing her patience.

Anna focused after the promise of additional information and Sarah continued.

"In case you don't believe me, I think I should tell you that I had a voicemail message from Vera. Even though Mr. Bates is already out of jail, I know you were keen on capturing her for the alleged fraud."

Anna's ears perked up immediately. "A voicemail? Was it recent?"

"It was this morning, while I was getting dressed for work. I didn't hear the phone ring and the call went to voicemail. IT wasn't her normal mobile number. At least not the one I had. She says she needs my help."

Anna leaned forward and put her palms on the table. She needed to contain herself, as her heart was now beating wildly at this information. If she could find Vera, and put her in jail, she was sure Mr. Bates' entire ordeal would be over. With her on the loose, one could never really be safe. "What did she say?"

"She said she would call back. I am telling you now because I don't want to get involved. We were friends, but, I've had my share of police and prison, and I don't want her to drag me down like she did Thomas. I'll cooperate in any way you need and I hope this buys my job safety for the future."

Anna could have kissed Sarah, if not for the desk between them. It didn't even bother her that she would have to put up with the woman's sour face permanently in this office. They had an opportunity to set up Vera and Sarah was a willing participant. What a good day this was turning out to be.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Mr. Bates, Mr. Crawley, Good Day," Ethel announced as they came through the door into the Bates Airlift Compound. "Anna is with Sarah right now, but she shouldn't be long."

"Thank you Ethel. We'll take a walk around the compound until she's free," offered Robert before John could speak.

For John, this was a test. He wasn't the boss anymore and although it was temporary, he had to restrain the urge to manage his operation. To the employees, Robert was the boss.

They had hardly walked a few steps when Anna's door opened revealing Sarah O'Brien exiting the office. Sarah could not have expected to see him and her surprised face gave her away. She muttered a hurried hello to both her and Robert, and walked towards her desk before they could even talk to her. Typical Sarah, he thought to himself, but he didn't care right now whether she was surprised to see him or not, Anna's office was now open and he would get to see her again. It didn't matter that he'd spent most of Sunday with her. It felt like ages had passed since he'd held her in his arms and he was aching to do it again. If only Robert weren't with them.

"Anna, we're here," Robert announced as they walked into her office.

Anna's eyes sparkled with emotion when their eyes met. "Hello," she responded shyly, and although she was addressing Robert, she didn't take her eyes off of him.

Robert immediately noticed their instant connection and was as good a friend as was possible under the circumstances. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm going for a cup of tea. You have five minutes to greet each other properly. I'm closing the door." He didn't wait for a response, and heard no objections.

As soon as they heard the click of the door, Anna came around and into his waiting arms.

"How are you?" he asked as he wrapped her in his embrace.

"Better, now that you're here." No words were spoken for at least two minutes while they reveled in each other's presence. His solid form was a comfort for her, and her petite frame fit perfectly against him. Still held within his arms, she stood on her tiptoes, expecting a kiss. He obliged. His lips were warm and moist and his warmth heated her instantly. It was over quicker than she would like, but they couldn't take such a big risk with their employees a few feet away from them.

"I missed you," he added as they pulled apart to sit on opposite sides of the desk.

"Me too, she responded.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"What do we do about Vera's call?" Anna inquired with John and Robert present, and Matthew on the phone.

They held their breath as they awaited Matthew's professional opinion.

"'If Sarah is willing to play along, we bait her, but we pass all the information on to the police. We don't want to get involved." He paused for a moment to consider his advice. "….and you, John….. I want you farthest away."

John acknowledged the comment with a smirk. He didn't say it out loud, but he had no need to see Vera. He didn't have a plan for vengeance and didn't need words with her. She was dead to him, after what she did. If she were caught, she could rot in jail.

Matthew continued. "The last thing we want is a showdown where she could turn the tables and try to incriminate you. Best to be as far away as possible."

"Don't worry Matthew. I have no intention or need to talk to her. She is dead to me. As soon as the divorce hearing takes place, I will erase all thoughts of her from my mind."

Anna smiled meekly. She couldn't contain herself from doing it and she was in comfortable company. Yet, she couldn't rejoice completely – not until he had his divorce. Three days were keeping her from her final happiness. His hearing was set for Thursday.

"So, we sit and wait?" Robert asked.

Matthew responded. "Yes. It is up to Sarah now. If Vera calls her back, she should go along with whatever Vera asks and then we'll contact the police to set up the sting."

John scratched his head. It really was baffling that everything rested on Sarah's shoulders. "I have no clue why Sarah would choose to cooperate. She hates me." It was more of a question.

Anna kept quiet, as Matthew did. They'd made an agreement with Sarah, and they both intended to keep their side of the bargain. Her past legal troubles would not be brought up now.

"John is right. Sarah is no friend of his. Can we trust her?" Robert's brow was raised as he doubted the woman's reliability and intentions. "What's in it for her?"

Anna decided to give her perspective, in the hope that she would quell their concerns. "Sarah still has much to do to prove herself in this company, but she is genuinely concerned that she should be associated with Vera and Thomas and their fraudulent actions. Her motives, not altruistic by any form, are consistent with her desire for self-preservation. She has guaranteed that while friendly with them, she had nothing to do with their crimes. I believe she can be trusted."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"She's already in Yorkshire, love." Charles traced the path made by the coordinates on the screen with his fingers.

"Well, it confirms what Anna said when she messaged us. She's coming straight back and that is a mistake if you ask me. What criminal, in their right mind, goes back to the scene of the crime? If she were that eager to get help from Sarah O'Brien, wouldn't you have asked her to come to you instead?"

"Nobody can be as smart and logical as you, my darling," cooed Charles when Elsie was finished speaking.

"At least, this time, Anna is not embroiled in the middle of it all. Bless the Lord that Matthew Crawley has asked John and Anna to stay away."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Charles read the information on the screen once more. "At this rate, she'll be here in about an hour, given the traffic she'll encounter. We should intercept her and follow her just to be sure."

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A few more hours passed without word from Vera. Sarah had agreed to tell Anna as soon as she heard from her friend, and as the day progressed, everybody who was aware of the impending meeting was nervous. They kept it amongst themselves, excluding Anthony, Ethel, Phyllis, Edith Gwen and any of the pilots from what was going on.

In the interim, they kept busy with the original purpose of John's visit to the office. Everybody was told that now that Mr. Bates was free from jail, since he had been retained as a consultant, he was in the office to go through each department's current organization and results. This would give Robert the assurance that the company was functioning as it should and that Anna was managing everything accordingly. It was a ruse for the team, but it was a true activity for him. He would get his business back and he wanted to make sure that it was running as it should.

Anna didn't know what made her more nervous – John's presence so close to her, waiting for Vera to call, or John going through each department to test her ability to manage. It was a nightmare, to go through a revision, but Anna was confident in what she had achieved and she hoped John noticed the small changes she had made, all with the goal of making the company more efficient and with more revenue earning potential. It was a relief, though, when Sarah came to knock on the door.

Sarah was pale, even though her normal face was a white-as-a-ghost complexion. She let herself in, closing the door behind her. Robert was with Anna, while John spent time with Gwen, reviewing Sales figures and contract renewals. It was late in the workday, already 4pm.

"She says she wants my passport so that she can leave the country. She says she would like to swap cars to take it onto a Liverpool ferry and that I should meet her in two hours, outside the York Minster so that we can do the switch. She promised to wire me funds for the loss of my car and that I shouldn't tell anyone."

"Did you agree?" asked an eager Anna.

Sarah rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Yes. I told you I would, didn't I? So, I've agreed, except, I don't have my passport with me. It's at home. She'll not be too pleased when she realizes it is expired, but that's not my problem…. I'll have to go home and get it, and I would need to leave now if I am to make it on time."

"Go to your house. I'll explain to Matthew who already has the police on alert, and we will call you with any alternate instructions."

Sarah left, followed by Robert. As much as he wanted to stay to see how this all unfolded, he must get on with the work at the pub. Anna agreed to return John as soon as he was finished in the office. Matthew confirmed with the authorities what the plan was and an undercover officer was dispatched to intercept Sarah at her home. She was to be wired so that she could record any possible conversations. She would be followed, for her protection and there would be other undercover police members, patrolling the area. The idea was that as soon as Sarah made contact with Vera, the police would attempt to apprehend her. They were ready with squad cars to block the roads in front of and in back of where they would be meeting.

To a certain degree, Anna was relieved shat she was not participating in the sting. She also did not want to see Vera, and she would rather spend time with John, even if it was in the office. This was better than before, when she worked for him. They were together now, and that security made the time spent in his presence a joy.

When Gwen, and the others said good-by, and they were left all alone in the office, Anna's heart began to palpitate.

"Alone at last," John spoke and Anna though she would burst. His eyes spoke of his sincerity and gladness that it was just the two of them.

"What now?" she asked bashfully.

John flashed an equally shy smile. His eyes crinkled in the way that she loved. "I have an idea."

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Sarah sat inside her battered car. It was an older model and it had seen better days. Money never seemed to be enough and she didn't have plans to upgrade any time soon. She could have had a better car, she reasoned, if she'd shut up about Vera's call and let her take this old piece of junk. The money wired could have helped her with the financing required to acquire a new one, but it was not to be. She'd gone ahead and spilled all the information to Anna and now she was sat here, like a cursed princess waiting for something to happen. She was following instructions, parking her automobile as close as possible to the entrance of the York Minster. She had been lucky to find a spot, or the police had cleared it for her, and it was close to the entrance. She had a view of the small esplanade, and of the street. She expected that the way she was positioned, Vera would jump in and ask her to drive somewhere, only letting Sarah go after they had driven for a while. Of course, she would want a public place, the type where there would be lots of people milling about, and nobody quite paying attention. It seemed ideal.

She appeared to be alone, but looks were deceiving. A few feet away, on a park bench, sat a female undercover inspector, dressed as a mum out with her child. She even had a pram to help her disguise. Besides the normal foot traffic for the area, there was also a beggar, sat on a corner, close to the entrance of the church. Sarah reckoned he was also one of them. She wondered if the irreverent teens on skateboards, those that were taking a stroll up and down the steps were in on it too. They looked a little young to be part of the police, but who could know these days. They were making a ruckus, and she wondered if that was their disguise. Matthew also explained that he would be there, with the Inspector in charge, but they would be hidden out of view. Somehow, even though she was not a fan of this lawyer, or any lawyer for that matter, it did give her a sense of comfort. Truth be told, she was nervous. Even though she knew Vera to be vindictive, but not violent, she felt a sense of dread. This was the type of scenario that she'd only ever see in the movies, and in so many of those interactions, the handover goes wrong and the most innocent people were hurt. She didn't want that to be her. Her early life of crime was not something she was proud of, and not something she did of her own volition. She had been easy to manipulate by her husband, and she paid the price for her gullibility. She didn't want that anymore. She didn't want to be an accessory to Vera's plans. She would work through her nerves and she would do what the police told her, anything to avoid any additional problems in her life. All she had to do now was wait for Vera to arrive.

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Elsie and Charles were confused. Elsie had donned her hijab, and long dress outfit, and was prepared to descend the vehicle if required. She had her camera on her lap as well. She would be less conspicuous in this getup, and the long pleats of her dress allowed her to hide the apparatus. Although they had not been called on by Anna to help, they had discussed that they would be prepared to take any pictures of any transactions taking place. If it were in any way helpful for the prosecution of Vera Bates, they would do it, because capturing Vera meant that their little girl could enjoy peace of mind. Charles was reluctant at first, mainly because Anna's peace of mind meant that she would be driven straight into his arms. His Elsie made him see the light, urging him to do his part to make her happy. It also helped that she had a way with her hands and knew exactly where to place them when she wanted a quick decision on his part.

The confusion came from conflicting information they had received. Anna had advised them that Sarah would be heading to the York Minster to await Vera's arrival. Vera's car, though, was not heading in that direction. Rather than come to the city center, it was actually heading towards the outskirts on the south east, closer to where the Bates Airlift compound was. IF she wasn't planning on meeting Sarah, where was it that she was headed?

Elsie pondered what to do. Her instinct was to turn around and move in the direction of the GPS signal. It could be a ruse, made with the intention of throwing them off. Vera could have disposed of her car, and they might start chasing after a false lead. How poor would it look, if Vera showed up at the designated spot and got away and they were not there to support the arrest? Maybe. Or… it was possible Vera was playing tricks on them and this was the ruse? Elsie's' sixth sense told her they should follow the signal.

"Follow the signal, Charles," she gestured as she picked up her mobile. "I'm going to call Anna."

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What fools they were, all of them. She'd thought exhaustively on what to do next. Although she had the initial idea in Dover, she'd had plenty of time, over the long hours of the infernal road trip, to decide on a definite course of action. In the end, the best idea, it seemed, to her, was to play a trick on them. Going quietly was not her style. Best to let them feel like she was in control, lest they start thinking they could beat her.

It would all start with Sarah, her easy prey. The woman had no spine and no real loyalty. She was perfect for the plan, leading them all astray, unknowingly. She knew what made motivated Sarah and it was always self-preservation. Through their years working together, Vera had witnessed just how everything she said and did revolved around her. Sarah would never own up to her faults, and was always looking for a way out of a situation. Sarah's association with herself and Thomas probably left her in a precarious position, being still employed by Bates Airlift. She would do all possible to prove she wasn't one of them. Yes, Sarah had an allegiance to her, that could not be contested, but she could never be on the same level of Thomas Barrow. She would always act thinking of herself.

Thomas knew how to keep quiet and go about his business. He was loyal- still was- even with the incarceration looming over his head. He had not said a word. She knew that much from the lawyer who was defending him, one that she had paid handsomely to represent him and to keep her informed. Thomas would get less than seven years for his crime, and what was waiting for him, on his release, was nothing short of nirvana. Much of his money was untouchable by the authorities, even if they had found one of his accounts. There were others, and they were well hidden. She would make sure he had a comfortable life in Switzerland with her. They had made the plans, carefully, and had discussed all of the possible outcomes – even this one. This was not what they desired, but it was a possibility, they knew, and now he just needed to serve his time.

She, on the other hand, was close to fulfilling her destiny. By now, surely, they were all flocked to the York Minster, surveilling the area while Sarah sat in her car. Did they all think she was a fool? Ha! They were the idiots. She was heading in the opposite direction.

Her plan was simple. She would drive to Bates Airlift and ditch the car several yards away, on the closest empty lot to the compound. There was an old warehouse that could hide her vehicle. It was an easy walk, and she had the key to the side gate. It was rarely opened. They last time they did, it was to set up the brouhaha for the Make a Wish child to come through the decorated side of the building, instead of traversing through the office. She could slip in easily and hide in the maintenance hangar. The interiors of the large helicopters were quite comfy and she would hijack the first pilot that walked in, and force them to fly her across the channel to France or Belgium. She only had one bag she needed to take with her, and as she eased her hand into her coat pocket, caressing the cool metal of the Smith and Wesson 9mm gun that would convince her detainee to take her, she knew all would be well in the world.

As it stood, she was already a block away.

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"What kind of idea do you have, Mr. Bates?" Anna inched closer to where he was standing.

John almost melted when she asked this. Of course, she'd used that flirty tone that he adored, and she'd batted her eyelashes. She was unaware of just how these simple actions on her part had him weak in the knees.

He'd taken a few steps closer to her too, and he'd reached for her hand while explaining his idea. "I was thinking that it's been a long time since I've flown in one of my girls. Tom told me Maggie was all ready and waiting for me to take her out." Amazingly, the authorities had not taken her away. "I was thinking, maybe, we could go out and see where the night takes us?"

John and her, in a helicopter, miles away from here? It sounded more than perfect. It was ideal. He could take them somewhere where they could be themselves for a few glorious hours. They could be away from all of this Vera mayhem. He could reacquaint himself with something he loved so much and he was asking her to be a part of it.

"That's brilliant." She reached in and gave him a quick peck. "I'll go to the loo before we leave."

He smiled again, relieved that his idea had been well received. But that was his Anna. She was most agreeable with everything, something Vera never was. She'd have shot him down instantly. "Meet me in the hangar when you are ready. I'll be there, tinkering with Maggie and getting her ready."

Another quick kiss sealed the deal and each one went their separate ways.

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Phyllis arrived home from work as she usually did, slightly tired. With nobody to replace Thomas yet, she was handling a fair share of his workload, on top of hers. Edith was helping, but she still could not manage some of the more confidential aspects of the work, such as the payroll process. Anthony was also helping, but it had been a while since he had done the more tedious of the company's tasks. He was managing the bank accounts, but that was it. She'd chatted with Daphne and was aware that it would yet be another two weeks before she could release Jane Moorsum, the most qualified candidate for the accounting position. Jane was an accountant, and a good one, but her treatments for depression, and substance abuse for the painkillers she started to take when her husband died, required a few more sessions. Her pusher, the thug she had gotten mixed up with and started hitting her, was on the top of her list for monitoring. She was close to finalizing the case against him. With him gone, Jane could put her life back together. Of all of Daphne's current girls, Jane was also the only one from Yorkshire, so, this position suited her, and she, Phyllis, would not complain. She would rather that job go to Jane, than anybody else because of the company's impatience. She could make it work another two weeks.

With so much work to do on her second job, she immediately started looking at her monitors. Most important on her agenda was to see what was new with Vera. She gasped when she saw the screen. Vera was in York. When she zoomed in the coordinates, she realized that Vera was a block away from Bates Airlift. This was worse than she thought.

She breathed in. Vera's presence at Bates Airlift was not a good sign. Living only ten minutes away from the office, and having just left, she was aware that Anna and Mr. Bates remained at the compound. They would be caught unaware. She should warn them, but how?

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Anna checked herself in the mirror one last time. She was going to get to spend a few quality hours with the man she loved, away from reality. Well, maybe not far away from it. She still needed an opportunity and a way to tell him the truth about her stake in the company…. and she had yet to explain to him what he didn't know about Vera's investment in Helicopters UK.

She stared at the reflection in the mirror for another few seconds and convinced herself she looked good. She exited the locker room, with her handbag. The phone vibrated in her bag and as an automatic gesture, she reached for it. It was Elsie, probably at home, worried about everything that was happening. Anna shrugged. As much as she loved her Godmother, she didn't want to talk to her right now. She didn't want to explain where she was going and what she was going to do. It still felt illicit to be out with the man she loved. She put the phone back into its place in her handbag and reached for the door that lead to the outside.

She heard another beep and surmised that her Godmother left her a voicemail. Had she looked, she would have realized that her twitter troll, incognitohelper, had just published a tweet mentioning her, and she was getting the alert.

** eyeinthesky VB in the vicinity of the BA compound. Take all precautions necessary. **

But, she didn't look. She only wanted one thing right now, and that was to be with the man she loved. As she stepped into the compound's tarmac, and closed the door behind her, she could see him in the distance inspecting his girl. A rush of warmth spread through her. What a wonderful evening, she thought.

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Vera was surprised to find Anna Smith's car in the lot. It was the only one. It was only 7pm, but it was late enough in the afternoon to guess that all the employees were gone for the day. How typical of the blonde bitch, working late to try to save the company. _Whatever_, thought Vera. Let her waste away her youth on something that was bound to falter. Helicopters UK were a much better company. She didn't know why Bates Airlift hadn't received much negative publicity when all of the frauds were discovered, but Vera would make sure that it made it to the newspapers as soon as she was comfortably settled. Sooner or later, regardless of her marital status, she'd make them falter.

She inserted the key to the side gate and was pleased when the latch turned. There were no windows in the building in the spot where she was, so, even if Anna Smith were working late, unless she was in the actual tarmac, Vera would not be seen. None of them had the foresight to change these locks. She had worried that they might have, in the aftermath of Richard's attack, but was pleased that their security efforts were only concentrated on the offices themselves. Vera was as quiet as possible, and locked the gate behind her. Pushed up against the wall of the offices, she took a couple of steps. She couldn't see the building yet, but the night air glowed in the distance, meaning that the lights of the hangar were turned on. Maybe somebody was still there. With any luck, there would be a pilot and she wouldn't have to spend the night here. She could be on her way and on train to Montreux by dawn. She took a deep breath, and then walked the remaining yards to the edge of the office where she could get a clear view.

Her heart stopped. Was it possible? Her husband was there and he was working with Maggie. Oh, this was turning out better than she thought. Rather than involve somebody else from the firm, he was perfect to be the one to fly her abroad. He still owed her, and would always owe her. With some luck, she might even be able to implicate him in her escape. She could allege that he had planned it all. Something like that. She would have to think it through. What a perfect ending. She was about to start a slow walk towards the hanger herself when the sounds of the door leading out from the offices into the tarmac being opened caught her attention and she glanced sideways to see Anna walking around the helicopters and towards the hangar. Her heels made a lot of noise on that pavement. Vera's moment of contentment dissipated with this intrusion. If only Anna had stayed in the offices, she could have reached her husband when he was alone. This might be more complicated. Or, she could wait a few minutes and maybe Anna would be gone.

The realization that something was different about this scene hit Vera slowly. When her husband heard Anna walking, he stopped what he was doing. His normal broody persona was replaced with somebody she hadn't seen in a long time. He had a smile and he turned towards her, even walking a few steps to wait for her on the edge of the hangar. She could even see excitement in his eyes. He only ever got this excited when they were taking delivery of a new bird. Anna's face was hidden from her, and she could only see her back, but there was energy about her whole countenance, a kind of spring in her step. A bouncy happy feeling was apparent, and she was walking straight for him. Her husband.

There was less than a few feet left between them and Vera felt her blood boil with ire. She knew what would happen. She could guess it. And then, they did exactly what she guessed. His arms came around to hold her, and he stooped down and their lips met in kiss. There was no way this kiss could be misconstrued as anything else but adultery. Her arms came up to hold his neck, and she could see their faces move. They stopped, he said something she couldn't hear and he followed up with a kiss to her forehead. A kiss on her forehead? The bloody fool loved her, because he'd never done that to her. Never. And she could see his puppy dog eyes looking at the bitch with devotion. She remembered the Make a Wish event when she suspected her husband had developed a fondness for the girl, but she never imagined that it was mutual, or that it had developed beyond an infatuation.

Well, well…. She thought to herself. John Bates was in love. How very perfect.

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her handgun. The night would be very interesting indeed.

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**A/N: Oh My! What will Vera do next? I'll publish the next chapter soon. I wouldn't want to leave you hanging like this.**

**Congratulations to everybody who guessed that Phyllis was our incognitohelper. Several of you guessed it early on!**

**And again, thank you for your continued support. **


	26. A Woman Scorned

**Words – 5.4K**

**This is a shorter chapter than what I traditionally write, but there wasn't much story filler to deal with. It's all Vera. This is also your warning that there is violence involved.**

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"What was that for?" whispered Anna as she came out of the trance that Mr. Bates' thorough kiss had induced. His kisses where like that, a mixture of passionate fire and comfortable warmth. She often found herself dazed, struggling to come back to earth.

He caressed her cheek as he spoke. "I am just so pleased to have you here with me." He reached forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

He was perfect, and so loving. How could she be so lucky? "I love you too," she answered sweetly as she searched for his hands. "How about you take us away from here?" She found them and he accepted his fingers be laced with hers.

"Of course, let's do this." He separated their bodies, but, with her hand still clutched to his, he walked the few steps toward the passenger side of the aircraft. He still had to use the pulley to move the helicopter outside, but he would rather settle Anna first. A noise in the far side of the hanger caught their attention and they both turned before he had an opportunity to open the door for her.

"Dear Husband, how are you?" Vera's voice was loud and it echoed inside the hangar.

She was heard before she was seen and his body felt it too. Her voice produced a chill all over him. Her words were tinged with cynicism and hate. He felt Anna shudder behind him, clearly as surprised as he was that Vera should be there.

She was walking towards them, and was now standing in front of the helicopter, only a few meters away. She was holding a bag with her and her other hand was in her coat pocket.

At their failure to respond, Vera continued. "What? No warm words for your wife?"

"Why are you here Vera?" His tone was angry. Although Anna was visible to Vera, John subconsciously took a step to the side, purposefully covering most of her. He didn't know what Vera's motives were, but he did not want to see Anna become a part of whatever this was.

"I'm here, because you owe me and I need you to fly me to the Continent." Her head was held high and she had a determined stance.

John guffawed at her words. "Owe you? I've paid you back with all of my misery over the years, and … the little stunt that you pulled, landing me in jail?..… well, that covered any alleged remaining debt I might have had." He took a step forward, to assert his position. If she thought he would take her, and get himself in trouble with the law, she was crazy. "I'm not taking you anywhere."

"Yes, you owe me. Callum was the most important thing in my life, and you let him die. You placed him in that helicopter when you were drunk and you crashed it. You're the reason he's dead. And if that weren't evil enough, you made me marry you, to assuage your guilt. You ruined my life, and you will never stop owing me."

Her words infuriated him. It took him many years to process his friend's death, and while a part of him would always feel responsible, it was not his fault, and it was not how Vera envisioned it. He'd had enough of Vera and her comments.

Anna could hear him breathing hard. The tension in the room was palpable, and she moved not an inch. This was not her fight, and she didn't want to be brought to Vera's attention. She would say nothing. Anxiety was brewing at the pit of her stomach, though. Not less than five minutes ago, she and Mr. Bates were kissing. How likely was it that she had seen that? If she had, this could make this conversation more difficult. And what was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be with Sarah? The realization that they had been duped hit her. Vera had done it on purpose. Nobody knew she was here, and they were all expecting her at the York Minster. Her heart stopped in fear – especially because she had her hand in her pocket, and she knew that if her hands were not visible, there was an invisible threat. Was she hiding something?

"You know what Vera? you can go to bloody hell. You can blame me for Callum's death all you want. I'm not taking you anywhere, so, if you don't want to get caught by the police…" He pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket and waived it visibly in the air, insinuating the threat that he would call, "You'll go back to where you came from and find your own way off this Island."

Vera stepped forward with a lot of resolve. "Oh yes, you'll take me, if not, I will kill the woman you love." She finally pulled her arm from her pocket and revealed the gun she was hiding.

Both Anna and John gasped. John was taken aback when he saw the weapon. He hadn't expected that.

"If you'll not do it out of guilt for having murdered your friend, would you do it to save her?" She pointed the weapon at Anna.

"What are you doing with a gun, Vera?" John asked with no qualms or fear as he moved Anna behind him with one of his arms. His large frame easily covered her small one.

She ignored John's question. "Step to the side, Anna. We haven't greeted each other properly. I'm John Bates' wife, and to my amazement a few moments ago, I've discovered that you are his whore." She waved the gun in the direction she wanted Anna to move. "I must say Batesy…. I am amazed that such a limp dick as yourself could land such a young one."

"Don't move, Anna," he whispered so that only she could hear him. Addressing Vera, he stated, "She has nothing to do with this, Vera. Leave her alone."

Vera chuckled. "Of course she has everything to do with this. She's the perfect leverage." Vera took two steps forward, as John and Anna took two steps back. She raised the pistol and pulled back the trigger in a cold and calculated fashion. "Just out of curiosity, because I honestly don't care - did you start fucking her when you hired her, or was it because you were fucking her, that you hired her?"

John would never reveal anything about his relationship with Anna, lest it make Vera angrier. And he knew that she was saying it so that she could get a rise out of him. He would keep his cool and he would find a way to get them out of there alive.

When she received no response, Vera fired the gun at their feet. The bullet made the expected loud pop, hit the floor and ricocheted, piercing the metal of Maggie's closest landing skid.

"What the hell, Vera!" John yelled. The bullet had lodged within the helicopter, but it had not caused any structural damage.

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Phyllis heard a gun go off as she pulled into the parking lot. She held her hand to her chest with surprise. A Gun? Maybe she should leave this to the authorities. This was not the situation she was expecting. There was no need to look at her GPS signal any more. It had indicated that the tracked vehicle was parked a hundred feet away, probably at the empty warehouse a few lots down. That meant, for sure, that Vera was here. Anna's car was still in the lot too. She heard a gruff yell and assumed it was Mr. Bates. Something was going on. If she waited for the police to arrive, it would be too late. All she had with her was a low voltage taser and some pepper spray. It would have to do. She ran as fast as she could to the office.

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She laughed, maniacally, as if she were enjoying this, and then turned serious again. She pointed the gun in the direction she wanted the blonde to move. "I mean business…. Anna, step to the side."

Before John could stop her any further, Anna moved as requested. John's face fell. He knew he couldn't protect her if she was out in the open, but her not moving at Vera's request could anger the woman and Anna didn't want that. "I'm here, Vera," she answered in as resolute a voice as was possible.

Vera was pleased, and took advantage of the situation to look at her from top to bottom. "My, My - Anna Smith. I wondered how it was that you got to the top so quickly. It all makes sense to me, now. Sleeping with the boss? Not very inventive, but certainly a proven method for advancement."

Anna had nothing to say. While she did, technically, sleep with the boss, Vera's assumptions were all wrong. Was she jealous? Anna wondered, but only for a brief second. The fact that Vera was pointing a weapon at her was of more urgency.

"Vera, I will fly you anywhere you desire," added John loudly to deter attention away from the woman he loved. He realized quite quickly that their safety, or primarily Anna's, depended on his doing whatever Vera wanted. Vera's modus operandi of ruining everything he loved, meant that Anna was the one in danger, not him. He was smart enough to understand that Vera's motivation was his suffering. Hurting Anna would devastate him more, than being hurt himself and Anna had moved away from him, something he wished she hadn't done. Out of his reach, she was exposed.

His words apparently worked. Vera turned away from Anna and focused on him. "Good, that's much better. I won't have to hurt her."

He sighed with relief. Maybe he still had time to stop her. They still needed to roll the aircraft onto the tarmac. Maggie was already hoisted onto the pull cart that would drag her out. Perhaps when they were doing that, he could incapacitate her. The soldier in him was running through a million possibilities.

"Let me move Maggie into position."

Vera's experience with helicopters was enough that she knew that Maggie had to be rolled out of the hangar so that they could take off. She didn't want to wait that long. She looked across the tarmac and several other helicopters were sitting out there, ready to be flown.

"I don't think that is necessary. Look at Audrey or Ava, already out here ready to go." She motioned with her hand, pointing to the two helicopters.

"I'm not sure they are air worthy, Vera. I only know Maggie is fueled and available." John hoped his reasoning helped deter Vera from making them use an alternate aircraft.

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Phyllis had come through the office, without turning on any additional lights, and when she reached the offices at the furthest end, she had crawled along the floor to make sure she was not seen through the windows. From where she was, she could see what was going on, but couldn't hear what was being said. She was just too far. Vera was pointing her weapon at both John and Anna. What could she do, that wouldn't make it worse? She was unarmed. The golf cart was a few feet away from the door. It wasn't that large and maybe she could hide behind it. She breathed deeply. Stealth wasn't her forte. Computers were, but they couldn't help her now. If she went out there, and was caught, things could go quite bad for Anna and Mr. Bates. What to do?

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"Really, John? You expect me to believe that?" She looked towards the helicopters parked on the tarmac again. "I know something or two about these metal contraptions from my years here. Don't think I am stupid. We don't need a lot of fuel for where we are going, and once we get there, you can refuel. It'll just be us three; you won't be lugging any cargo. Half a tank ought to be enough."

John's sense of relief was short lived. Vera intended Anna to come along. He had to figure out a way to avoid that. Vera was vindictive enough and all sorts of mad scenarios populated his mind. He imagined Vera opening the door mid-flight and forcing Anna out. Or… shooting her and him whenever they reached the continent. No, Anna should not come along. If he was to die, he would die alone.

From the corner of her eye, Anna saw movement on the tarmac. Somebody was there, come to rescue them. Or so she hoped….. If Vera had a crony, they would have already made themselves known. Whoever it was, though, was too far, and coming all the way to the hangar posed a problem. Vera, with her back to the offices, had not seen this movement, and she doubted Mr. Bates had either. The key would be to move them closer to the person on the tarmac, so that action could be taken.

"Vera is right, Mr. Bates. We should look at the other helicopters to see if any of them is air worthy. It will take us longer to get Maggie out of the hangar."

John turned to Anna, with confusion and terror in his eyes. His unspoken question manifested itself between them. Why would she say that? She could read the anxiety perfectly. She tried to reassure him with a look of her own, but they were interrupted again by Vera.

"Ha!" she yelled with very obvious spite. "You are already whipped, John Bates. If I didn't hate her, I'd applaud her managing you over." Irritated at the delay, she waived the gun towards them. "Move, now. Let's go look at Audrey." They reluctantly walked under her guidance. "Don't you dare pull any tricks, either of you. As you've seen before, I won't hesitate to use my gun."

They walked a few steps to Brigitte. Vera clearly had no idea what names belonged to what helicopters. This was not Audrey. They were also still too far away from where Anna had seen movement. She needed them to get towards where Ava and Marilyn were parked, the two smallest Executive helicopters on the compound and they were closest to the entrance into the offices. "Isn't Brigitte too big?" asked Anna innocently.

"Yes, she is too large," answered Mr. Bates. "This helicopter requires two pilots. It can't be this one…..and, it cannot be Sophia, Grace or Audrey," he pointed towards the helicopters in question. "It will have to be one of those." He pointed to Marilyn and Ava, just what Anna wanted.

"Move, then," Vera yelled rudely. Anna and John walked in that direction, with Vera behind them still pointing her gun.

Anna searched all over for signs of somebody else, but she couldn't see anything. They were a few feet from the golf cart. Was it possible that it had been wishful thinking? That sense of security from a moment earlier faded. She looked over to where the vehicle sat and prayed silently that there was somebody crouched behind it. It might be their only hope.

John was also thinking about options. What if he surprised Vera all of a sudden, turning and kicking the gun out of her hand? He maneuvered his head back slightly to gauge the possibilities and realized that Vera was walking behind Anna and at a short distance. He couldn't risk it. If a knee jerk reaction from Vera generated another detonation, Anna would be hit in the back. When Anna was not so close, he might go for it.

They reached Marilyn first. Vera, calculating that John might try something, jerked Anna's arm backwards until there was virtually no space between her and her captive. Anna winced in pain. She could feel the hard metal against her back.

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Phyllis crouched behind the wheel, making herself as small as she could. Her knee scraped on the pavement as she attempted to hide. A dull pain ensued, but she ignored it. She trembled and she closed her eyes. _You must be brave_, she repeated to herself. _They need you_. She held the taser tightly clenched in her hand. The corners were causing red indentations in the palm of her hands, but with sweat from her nerves, she feared her weapon could fall out if it weren't firmly held.

She heard them just a few feet away. She would have to act soon if she were to avoid them flying off.

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"Go ahead, John. Check out this helicopter, but be forewarned, I have your princess here. I wouldn't try anything." Her eyes were beady, having been molded into a sinister look.

John was affronted by the violence. "There's no need to hurt her."

Vera pulled on Anna's arm harder, and jabbed her in the back. Anna winced again, although she had tried to be quiet. She didn't want John to worry, not if it meant he would confront Vera.

"I'll be the one who determines the need," she yelled back at him. "Get on with it."

John opened the door and stepped onto the landing skid for support. He hoisted himself onto the seat to be able to read the gauges. "This one has half a tank, approximately 35 gallons. The most we can fly is 2.5 hours, or 3, depending on the wind. I could make a better guess if you told me where we are going."

"I won't tell you until we are in the air," she muttered.

John flailed his arms slowly to make his point. "That's not the way it works, Vera. You need to tell me where we are going to make sure we have enough fuel."

"You'll make it work. Now, open the back so that your princess and I can board."

John was determined that Anna should not come. "If it is only you and I, Vera, the weight will be lighter and we can fly farther. Leave Anna here."

Anna gasped. He wanted to protect her, but she knew that John would not make it back alive if only the two went. Vera would kill him upon arrival, or worse, in a gallant gesture to rid the world of Vera's evil, he might even purposefully crash the helicopter into the English Channel, killing them both. The thought of losing him was more than she could bear and her lip wobbled under the immense feelings. She could only protect him if they were together, and if the worse should happen, and they died together, it would be better than living without him.

"Do you think I'm a bloody idiot?" Vera cackled loudly. "No sooner than we took off, she'd alert the authorities."

"You can tie her up, leave her in the hangar," John offered quickly. "I'd be the one to untie her when I came back. She wouldn't be able to call anybody." Reasoning with her was impossible, but he repeated again, "Vera, we need the extra fuel. Taking her is ludicrous." He took a step down from the seat to stand on the landing skid.

Anna wanted to yell that she wasn't afraid and that she would rather go with him, but the look in his eyes was one of panic. He was desperate to save her. She slowly shook her head, alerting him that she would rather be with him. She struggled to keep her tears inside her. If Vera perceived her emotional state, she would take it out on him.

Vera didn't see the movement in Anna's eyes and her anguish over their separation, but she saw John's. The rancor inside of her was fueled by the alarm in his eyes. His only concern was for Anna, and Vera built on that feeling to terrorize them further.

"Look at you. How pathetic. You think that I would let her walk free? That I would give you that happiness? Have you learned nothing about how much I hate you, John?"

To prove her point, Vera pulled on her prisoner's arm, twisting her around until she had access to Anna's beautiful face. With the gun, she hit her temple. The force of the blow threw her down, and she landed on the pavement, a few feet from her beloved. The trickle of blood from where the blow had split her skin was immediate, and it oozed down her face. John reached for her and as his hand touched her face, Vera's yell stopped him in his tracks. Vera had engaged the trigger on the gun again.

"Don't fucking move, John, or she's gone." She was aiming directly for Anna's head.

That's when it happened.

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"This is where her car is love," pointed Elsie as they drove up to the empty lot after surveying the GPS tracking screen held in her hands. "She must have hid it inside that building."

"Well, we're only a few feet from the Bates Airlift Compound. I bet it is safe to say that is where she was headed." Charles kept the car moving forward slowly. He could see the lights of the compound's parking lot.

"So, let's go there," Else demanded.

They came upon the parking lot and both gasped in unison.

"Anna's still here," Elsie added. "And somebody else too," as indicated by Phyllis' badly parked vehicle. It was taking up two slots.

They settled next to Phyllis' automobile and Elsie opened the car door without stepping out. "What do we do?" She turned back to look at Charles.

His eyes demonstrated the same concern Elsie had. "Should we poke around?" He shut the engine. "I wouldn't want to make it worse for Anna with our presence if nothing is going on, but something is not right, not when Vera's car is hidden away."

"You're right." Before he could say anything else, Elsie stepped out, and by chance, she touched the car next to her. "You know, this car is warm." Elsie's mind took on a curious stance. She added, "….and it is parked badly. Somebody must have just arrived."

By then, Charles had exited the car and closed the door. "Let's go peek through the window, or try the door. If we can't see any movement, I say we call Anna again."

Elsie nodded in agreement and they made their way up the parking lot. They pulled on the glass front door and it was closed, but they'd expected that. They could see no lights. Elsie took a few steps towards the right and reached a chain link fence. There was another entryway, but there was a padlock on it. Charles stood behind her. They could see the glow of the hangar lights in the distance. Suddenly, they heard a very loud pop, followed by a scream. It sounded like their Anna. It was far away, but it was distinct.

"That was a shot," exclaimed Charles loudly, panic written across his face. He stepped back to assess the height of the fence. It was tall and his feet too wide to fit into the metallic links. There was also a bit of barbed wire atop the rim. This was a job for somebody more petite in stature. Elsie may have been able to climb it, but he wouldn't even suggest it. Not when somebody might have a weapon on the other side.

"Anna," yelled Elsie loudly. It was futile. From this place, they wouldn't be heard. Their desperation kicked in.

They ran all the way back to the entrance and pulled on the door roughly, somehow expecting that they would obtain different results this time. It was solidly locked and not budging. The glass of the entryway shook as Charles inspected the locks to see if it was something he could pick through. They could hear more noise in the distance, somebody yelling. She couldn't tell if it was Anna.

Charles reached for a potted plant at the side of the door. His intention was clear. They looked at each other, in silent agreement. Elsie moved back and turned to protect herself from the imminent shower of glass. She pulled out her mobile. Always one step ahead in her thinking, she realized they should waste no time in calling the police.

The sound of glass shattering reverberated around her, but it could not mask the most abhorrent of sounds. Two shots were fired in almost rapid succession.

Without needing further encouragement, Charles raced through the door.

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**A few minutes earlier**

"Contrary to what you believe, John…. I don't need you or her. I can wait for another pilot tomorrow. That was my original plan." Her voice was getting more gruff and sinister. The frown lines in her forehead were marked and her jaw locked. She appeared more upset than he'd ever seen her. "I didn't expect to see you here. Finding the both of you, and understanding that you've been together was a fantastic plus to this story….but, you know….I don't think I can put up with your desperate attempts to save her. It makes me want to throw up." Vera sighed loudly, and then straightened up. "We'll just end it now."

Out of nowhere, and quite unexpectedly, a solid bulk hit Vera from the back. Phyllis discharged the taser with all of her might against Vera's back mid-section and it immediately released a jolt of electricity that wound through her target's body. As the impact propelled Vera forward, the weapon was discharged. Both Anna and Phyllis screamed and John lunged forward in an attempt to subdue her. Phyllis had provided the perfect distraction.

While Phyllis' surprise was perfect, the taser had not incapacitated Vera and she was still a threat. It had been too low a voltage, and Phyllis had owned the taser since her departure from Bryant Landing. As with any product, the efficiency waned over time.

John reached Vera and before she could discharge the weapon again, he latched on to her arm. The inertia of his lunge had made it impossible for either of them to keep their footing, and with a heavy thud, they fell to the ground.

Vera yelled, "Get off me you swine," as John grunted something unintelligible. He was attempting to get the weapon away from her, but it was held between them. They tussled.

Phyllis yelled, "Get her Mr. Bates", and she knew not where to stand or what else to do. She could not help him, but, she should help Anna up, who was still on the floor where Vera had left her after hitting her face. Phyllis reached over to give Anna a hand, when she noticed the pool of blood that was forming under Anna's left side. The young woman was holding on to her midsection with both hands, gasping. Her impeccable white shirt was now a crimson hue.

"Oh God, Anna….," she whispered as she flung herself down besides the afflicted young woman. She didn't yell now. If Mr. Bates saw the state Anna was in, he would never be able to subdue his wife and that would be the end for all of them. Vera needed to be stopped and he was the only one who could do it. "The bullet, it hit you." A fierce wave of guilt overcame her. Vera's weapon discharged after her botched subjugation attempt.

Anna nodded with obvious fear in her eyes. She didn't want to die, not like this, sprawled under a helicopter, a gaping wound at her side. She imagined it would happen in her old age, surrounded by the people she loved. This couldn't be it, especially not at Vera's hands. Mr. Bates would never forgive himself. The pain was intense, and she felt a tingling throughout her whole body. She craned her neck to see where Mr. Bates was, but she couldn't visualize him. Phyllis and Marilyn's landing skids were blocking her view.

Phyllis thought quickly and took off her shirt, staying in her bra and chemise. She couldn't think of anything else to use and she didn't care about propriety. She bunched up the cloth and put it directly on the wound, applying pressure with her hands. She'd taken first aid classes during her short lived tenure at MI6. Applying direct pressure to a wound would stem the flow of blood. This would buy them time.

She could hear Mr. and Mrs. Bates still fighting over the weapon. Phyllis could barely breathe, her anxiety an unavoidable companion at this moment. The realization that this was her fault was overwhelming. It swept over her and she took several short breaths to compose herself. She felt like running away, as her primal instinct, but Anna needed her. She needed to be brave, no matter what. No matter if Vera persevered. No matter if Mr. Bates hated her for her mistake. She had been brave when she ran from her imprisonment and she could do it again.

The fight for dominance over the weapon was taking more time than ought to be needed, Phyllis thought. From the corner of her eye, Vera saw Mr. Bates on top of her, then the reverse with Mrs. Bates on top of him. Mr. Bates was a strong man, but Vera's adrenaline had kicked in and she had the strength of several men. "Give me the weapon before you hurt someone", was what he yelled, and she answered "Never." It might have been seconds, at the most minutes, but with darling Anna sprawled in front of her, it felt eternal.

With one hand, Phyllis pulled out her mobile. An ambulance was needed, regardless of the outcome. Maybe, in a few minutes, somebody else would need it too, and if they were all hurt, maybe one of them had a chance of survival if the paramedics arrived.

"Phyllis," Anna whispered as 999 was dialed. She focused on Anna even while she held the phone with one hand.

"You're incongnitohelper, aren't you?" Anna's eyes implored her to tell the truth.

She was about to answer when emergency services answered. "I need an ambulance. A woman has been shot at the Bates Airlift compound at the York Regional Airport. Send police too. The shooter is still at the scene. She's bleeding badly, please hurry." She closed the connection, wanting to dedicate herself to Anna.

Anna's eyes were fluttering. She was struggling to stay awake. Her body was going numb. She'd probably lost a lot of blood already. As she waited for Phyllis to make her call, she noticed the writing underneath the helicopter. Marilyn. How lovely. Sprawled underneath and close to the belly, she remembered the last time she was in this position. Having just made love to Mr. Bates for the first time, they lay together on the grassy field, underneath the same bird, and he held her. That was a lovely memory and it filled her with peace. She felt no more fear.

Phyllis shook Anna gently to get her attention. "I am darling," she assented. "I'm sorry I didn't admit it sooner." At this point, staying incognito was of no importance. Anna deserved to know.

Anna's blood had soaked through the shirt and was now all over her hands. Phyllis still kept applying pressure, even if there was not much else she could do. Anna would not die here, not with her. For a moment she wondered if she should leave Anna to open the doors for the emergency services, but she couldn't tear herself away. She couldn't leave her alone.

Anna smiled in the midst of her misery. She had always known it was Phyllis. "I knew it," she whispered. She felt proud of herself and all the work she had done. In the end, she had figured it all out and was pleased to know that Phyllis was a good woman, so very loyal to Mr. Bates. "Thank you for being here." She had come to his rescue again. He couldn't be in better hands if she were gone. She closed her eyes, happy that he had angels surrounding him.

Phyllis realized that Anna needed warmth, and more support. With her free hand, she hoisted up the young woman's torso and she positioned herself to cradle her upper body. It didn't alter her ability to apply pressure, but she felt Anna better comforted in this position.

"Anna," Phyllis called when she realized her eyes had been closed. With her other hand, she patted Anna's cheeks firmly, attempting to startle her. "Stay with me. Help is on its way."

Anna did open her eyes and when she did, she looked at Phyllis with determination. "Tell him I love him, please." She gasped. Who better than her to deliver this missive? "Tell him, he made me very happy." She struggled through the words, but her eyes did not flinch. They were intense, pleading with her friend. He must know the difference he played in her life. They might have not known each other long, but she knew that she could have never loved another the way she loved him.

Phyllis struggled through the words herself. "You'll tell him yourself darling. Fight this. Hold on for him. He needs you now more than anything." Phyllis' eyes started to water. This couldn't be the end, and it was true. Mr. Bates needed Anna, she had finally seen that. She knew how much her employer adored the young lady, and he would never forgive himself if she died here on the pavement without him. He probably wasn't even aware of what was going on, as intent as he was in stopping the madwoman in their midst.

"….and my parents, I love them. They were the best."

And then the sound that Phyllis feared most was heard. A shot. She turned her head in slow motion, dreading to see the outcome, yet never letting go of Anna's wound. She couldn't really see, and then it happened again. A second shot.

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**A/N: Don't hate me. I did agonize about writing this chapter almost from the very start of the story and the actual writing of just these last 5K words took me almost a month. It was that difficult to harm my Anna, but it was always part of the plan. **

**I'll post the next chapter in a week, as I don't want to keep you hanging.**

**Thank you for all your support and lovely reviews. You make my day every time I post a new chapter.**


	27. On a Wing and a Prayer

**Words – 15.1K**

This is the last chapter friends! As such, it is rather long. Pace yourselves…

Happy Holidays

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Cardiac Arrest. Elsie couldn't believe it. They said it was from the loss of blood. The six minutes it took for them to shock her with the defibrillator were the most difficult of her life, but the paramedic did an incredible job. Anna's heart started again. Elsie held her hand, or she tried to as long as she could. She'd been allowed to ride in the incredibly small ambulance that was already full to capacity. She didn't want to be in the way and was cramped against a back corner, holding on to Anna's stretcher. She'd had to let go when the paramedic was dispensing the shock.

Elsie turned to look at the other occupant, and a sensation of scorn and hatred overcame her. She was a Christian, and a compassionate person, and she knew God would condemn her for such thoughts, but she couldn't help it. Vera had caused this harm to her little girl. She shouldn't have been allowed to ride in the same transport, no matter how delicate she was herself. She too was shot, and she was just as critical. Anna had commanded more attention when she'd had her cardiac arrest, but from what the paramedic was communicating back to the Hospital, she was faring no better.

It had been a disaster when she and Charles made it all the way back to the tarmac. The first image that assaulted her mind was that of Anna, lying in a pool of blood, and a frantic lady, which they now knew was Phyllis, keeping her from going unconscious. Apparently, there had been a gun and Mr. Bates and his wife had tussled for it after Vera shot Anna. He had not known she was injured, it seemed, as the wail he let out when he dragged himself over to her body was spine-chilling. He had been shot too, but less critically on his inner thigh.

All three of them were trying to keep her awake, but she wasn't saying anything. She was nearing a state of shock.

"Oh, God. Anna, darling… Don't leave me," Mr. Bates cried as he cupped her chin. "We are going to be so happy together. We'll be married, you and I, and we'll have babies and we'll run this business and we will go to so many amazing places together." He kissed her gently, and Elsie could have sworn that even when she didn't respond, she saw a faint smile on her little girl's lips.

Elsie's heart was breaking. "Fight this, Anna. Your parents don't want you to join them just yet. You still have so much to accomplish."

"Love, You are still very much needed, by all of us. Please hang on," added a morose Charles. He was less emotional than Mr. Bates and her, but Elsie knew that her husband was in shock himself and that he was being strong for all of them.

With all three of Anna's most loved people tending to her, Phyllis had moved away to check on Vera. Vera was hit in the abdomen, whereas Anna's injury was on her left hand side. There was no danger that Vera could rally from this injury and be a danger to all of them. Just in case, Phyllis kicked the weapon clear away, where it couldn't be reached, then sat down to administer pressure to Vera's wound. It wouldn't have been right, leaving her to die alone, no matter what she had done.

In all, it took ten minutes, from when both Elsie and Phyllis contacted emergency services for the first police units to arrive. They swarmed the tarmac, led by the path that Elsie and Charles had made, and with so many people about, and an undetermined shooter, there was much confusion and yelling. Since Phyllis had mentioned the perpetrator was still at the scene, their initial instincts were not to trust anybody. "Get on the floor", the police yelled. Phyllis did as she was told and she casually noticed that Elsie and Charles had done so too. Mr. Bates would not let go of Anna, defying their order. Amidst the chaos, he was targeted as prime suspect. They hadn't even noticed his leg bleeding profusely.

"It's her," yelled Phyllis, barely raising her head and pointing at Vera. "I'm the one who called. I saw it all happen. This is the shooter. The rest are innocent." Her words took the pressure off John who still had Anna ensconced within his arms. The police turned away from him and towards Vera, who lay in her own pool of blood, unconscious. Unlike Anna, she didn't have the period of lucidity where she could make any last comments. Phyllis would have helped just the same, but in the end, Vera just lay quietly. At one point, Phyllis realized that her breathing had become shallower.

They believed her, thankfully, and they started asking her questions after providing a coat for her to wear. She also pointed at the closed circuit cameras that poked out of the roof, alerting the authorities that the proof of her words, would be found there.

The ambulance arrived immediately after and the two most critical patients were taken first. Elsie begged to join them, and the driver happened to be an old customer of theirs who allowed it. The police were at first reluctant, but they let her go given the gravity of the situation. They agreed to get her statement at the hospital. And now, finally, twelve minutes later, the back doors of the vehicle were swung open and a multitude of nurses and doctors surrounded them. Anna was still alive and that was a blessing.

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John had never been so miserable in all his life. He couldn't believe Anna had been hit and he hadn't been aware. He could have been with her sooner. He felt responsible for her injury too. He should have known Vera was still a threat and he shouldn't have let down his guard.

Bless Phyllis for trying, though. She felt so guilty herself, not having had a better plan, and not having fully incapacitated Vera when she'd had the chance. He didn't want her feeling guilty for any of it. She had been brave, with no reason to put herself in danger, and she had taken action. He would be eternally grateful, regardless of the outcome.

"So, you say that the shooter is your wife, and the other victim is your girlfriend?" The inspector taking notes was making inferences which John preferred he didn't. A paramedic was also working on stabilizing his leg for transport to the hospital. All he really wanted was to be there already, near her, and to know she was ok. "Your wife, then, surprised you with your," the man coughed, "woman", and reacted to the situation?"

John tried to temper his reaction. The rage was building within, that this man would dare called the woman he loved, "woman," but anger wouldn't help now. "No. Not exactly," he answered with emphasis. "My soon to be ex-wife, is a fugitive. Look up her name, Vera Bates, in your database. She surprised me and Ms. Smith, as we intended to take a leisurely ride in my helicopter. She was seeking my help to flee the United Kingdom to avoid prosecution, and I refused until she threatened to harm Ms. Smith."

The rest of the interview and the drive to the airport was a blur. Thankfully, the paramedic insisted to the investigator he needed to cut short the questions, for the sake of his charge's health. Phyllis remained on the scene, promising to contact Robert and get things taken care when the police were finished with their investigation within the space.

As he was wheeled into the A&E, he strained his neck, looking for his beloved. It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes from when he last saw her.

"Miss, please." He reached for a nurse's arm as he was being wheeled down a hallway. "Two women were brought in with bullet wounds. How are they?" He only really cared about Anna.

She looked at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry, love. I can't tell you unless your family." The attendant that had him started to move the stretcher forward, indicating the end of the conversation. As much as he hated to invoke Vera, he would, if it meant gaining more information.

"My wife is one of them and the other is a close friend," he added with desperation.

"I don't know one from the other, or their names, love. I wouldn't want to give you wrong information." She appeared to know more than she was saying.

"Mr. Bates, we need to get you into surgery too," offered the young man. "We must really move along and allow the A&E team to clear you."

"Please, tell me something. I can't go to surgery without knowing." His voice was close to begging.

With regret in her voice, the nurse issued the most agonizing words he had ever heard. "One of them died, love. I'm so sorry….but, I don't know which."

He felt as if a million pieces of glass had invaded his body, traversing through the blood supply and shredding every bit of his veins and heart. Anna or Vera was dead and his life felt worthless now. How had it come to this? He lay back in a state of shock, caring not what happened with his leg. They could cut it off for all he cared.

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John woke several hours later in a post-operative recovery room. His throat felt scratchy. He imagined it was from the intubation necessary during his procedure. His leg was elevated and he felt the pain, but it was nothing in comparison to what he had suffered nearly two decades ago. The sterile area reminded him of that time, so long ago - curtains and bed sheets, and the smell of strong antiseptic. The only difference was the splashes of color. He caught a bit of pink when a nurse walked by. Before, they'd worn all white, except for the occasional military fatigue underneath. This was a welcome change.

He felt nauseous, the side effects of the waning anesthesia making their presence known. He remembered that too, always feeling half awake and not knowing what was really going on. He sighed. He supposed he would lie here and wait for the truth to reach him. As desperate as he was to find out the truth before his procedure, he would rather not find out now. As long as he could live in blissful ignorance, it would be better. If he didn't find out the truth, Anna would be safe, and fine and not possibly dead. He could remember their times together with joy for just a while longer.

As the minutes ticked by, he felt himself losing touch. He didn't know how long he had been awake. It could have been only a few minutes, but if somebody had told him it had been an hour, or more, he would have believed that too. He was so out of it, that he thought he heard voices surround him. It was entirely possible, since this was not a private recuperation ward. The gap between both ends of the curtains affirmed him the slight view of an empty bed in front of him. There must be people to the sides too. The voices seemed familiar. There was crying.

Where was Robert? In the moments previous to his surgery, he had provided Robert Crawley's name as the person who could make medical decisions on his behalf and in the absence of family, visitation. Legally, it should have been Vera, but with her incapacitated, or maybe even dead, an alternate person was needed. As if on cue, a salt and pepper head peaked through the curtains.

"Oh my God, John. I'm so happy you're alive." He dashed the few steps until he was standing above his bed-ridden friend. In an awkward move, Robert, visibly shaken, attempted a hug maneuver. He bent his body all the way down, smothering John in the process. Robert couldn't contain his delight.

"Thank you for coming," was all that John could reply. John couldn't even face him. He kept his eyes downcast. The idea that Robert might have the knowledge that would plunge him into despair, or provide relief, weighed heavy on his heart.

"John, it's incredible really. When Phyllis phoned me, I couldn't believe it. I knew Vera was vindictive, but I never thought she was capable of this."

"I've been telling you for years," was John's curt answer. The emotions within him were threatening to bubble to the service. Could he have prevented this? Anticipated she wouldn't let it end with her in jail? Should he have stayed away from Bates Airlift and Anna, until they knew she was captured? So many questions plagued his mind.

"Well, it's over now. She can't hurt you anymore."

John looked up with fear in his eyes. Did Robert say what he thought he did? "What do you mean, Robert?" he asked just to be sure.

Robert realized from John's curious face, that he may not be aware of all that transpired. "Oh, dear. Has no one told you?"

"When I asked, I was told one of the two died, but they didn't elaborate. Are you telling me Anna is still alive?" There was hope in his eyes.

Robert clasped John's hand, careful not to disturb the IV drip attached to it.

"She's alive mate. She is still critical, but she survived her surgery. At least that was what Mr. Carson told me in the waiting room."

John felt the weight of the massive rock on his chest had lightened up slightly. He wouldn't feel completely relieved until Anna was well again, but the knowledge that she was not dead and fighting to stay alive gave him his first real happy thought since the whole ordeal began. He couldn't stop the tears from coming fully at that point.

Embarrassed to cry in front of Robert, he tried to wipe the tears, but the simple task was a challenge with all of the tubes he was connected to.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't be crying." When he focused on Robert, who hadn't said anything, he realized his friend was just as emotional.

"It's a dreadful situation John. Anna is such a beautiful person. We are all affected by it. Mary and Cora are in the waiting room. Over the last several hours, they've cried countless times with Mrs. Carson, but, John... she's fighting and if there is any consolation at all over Vera's death is that she is finally at peace."

Vera dead. Of course, if Anna was alive, then Vera was dead. Was he sorry? He was sorry that she lived such a life full of hatred. It didn't have to be like that. He was glad it was over for all of them. Robert was right. Maybe this was better for her. If she couldn't reconcile the fact that Callum was dead, maybe joining him in the afterlife, if it existed, was better for her. But he didn't want to dwell on that anymore.

"I want to see her, Robert. Where is she?" He tried to sit up, feeling slightly better. The nausea was subsiding.

"In the morgue, I would imagine."

John rolled his eyes. "Anna. She's the one I want to see."

"Oh. Right." He gathered his wits after his mistake. "I do believe she is in this same recovery ward. Mr. and Mrs. Carson were just allowed to come see her. When they left, I was allowed to come see you."

John collected his thoughts. Were those the voices and crying he heard? It sounded so close.

"Robert, kindly look at the next bed," he pointed to the right. "I heard movement about half an hour ago. Please tell me that's Anna."

Robert appeared embarrassed at the request, prowling on other patients not a seemly task to be asked, but John's nonverbal imploration motivated him to peak around the enclosure.

Although he couldn't see Robert's face completely, there was a hint of astonishment in his features.

"Robert, is it her?" He was impatient. Why wouldn't he just say if it was?

"It is, John." Robert appeared vexed.

His darling had been next to him all along. How much wasted time. "Then, open the curtain, please. I want to see her." The curtain's track allowed for it to be pushed all the way back, eliminating the virtual wall between them.

"She's in a delicate state. She still has breathing tubes and is hooked up to a machine. Maybe it would be better if you waited until she was better?" Robert wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. He looked extremely preoccupied.

"No, Robert. I want to see her. Please…." After his begging, he decided to change his tone to more of a threat. Robert wasn't taking the action he so desired. "Don't make me get out of bed to do it myself, because I will once you leave."

Robert's brow furrowed. Without saying anything else, he moved the curtain to the side, revealing a bed just like his. His friend was right. There were machines he didn't have, still hooked up to her. He could see she had a monitor for her heart, and he couldn't recognize the others. She was hauntingly beautiful, as always, but extremely pale. Deadly white, even. He lifted his head and upper body as much as he could to get a better picture of her. He couldn't see anything, though, as she was covered from the neck down.

Still weak, the effort he made to hoist himself up could only last a few minutes. Exhausted, he had to lie back down. As he struggled to regain his wits, the emotion of the moment overcame him. Seeing her in that state brought all the worry back. He covered his eye with his hand, reflecting on the tragedy of the last 12 hours. How did this all happen? How did one get from such a happy place, to one of such fear? He would gladly trade all of his pain for hers. He would rather be the one in that bed, with her in his, nursing such a minimal wound back to health. He should be the one with the more serious injury. He couldn't understand why life could be so unfair.

He realized just how special she was. "I owe her so much Robert. I only hired a private detective, and look at me now, almost six months later. In love with a most amazing woman, who has given me so much of herself, and who paved the way so that I could be free of all the chains that kept me subdued. I don't know w here I would be without her." The emotion in his words was evident. He could hardly hold back his tears.

Robert's brow furrowed one more time. John was slightly taken aback. Robert's reaction to his words was not aligned with his warm characterization of her. John mistook the emotion for something else, perhaps doubt. Robert's mind, though, was occupied by other thoughts. He had a confession to make.

Before John could ask, Robert came forward himself. "My friend, there is something else you must know. Anna wanted to find a way to tell you, but she didn't know how. I am going to tell you now because she cannot speak for herself and in this situation, you should know the extent of everything she's done for you….."

John was intrigued. What could have Anna kept from him that Robert would know about? "What is it?" he asked with trepidation.

"Crawley Investors is really 78% Anna and 22% me. She's the one that provided the majority of the money to save Bates Airlift, John. I did as much as I could, but it was not enough. Everything was her idea, her money, and her driving force." As John's eyes opened fully to the realization, Robert added, "Now you know."

0-0-0-0-0-0

They were moved to a room on the critical care ward. He had begged, as had Robert, that they be placed together. The hospital didn't agree initially, stating that his wounds were not as critical as hers and they did not require the same level of monitoring. He would likely only need one or two more days of hospitalization, but she would need more, especially since she was still unconscious. Who knows what convinced them to agree, but once they were amenable, they did state that the final decision would have to come from her family. Elsie and Charles had to consent, since he wasn't a relation. At first he didn't think they would approve, since his position with them before this incident was not a good one, and he imagined that putting Anna in harm's way had made their opinion of him even worse. He couldn't believe when they surprisingly agreed, and he surmised that Elsie Carson's gentle and kind demeanor had much to do with it. He was further astonished when on their first visit to their joint room, Charles Carson came up to his bed. He was stoic and reserved, but his words were clear enough.

"I believe that by you being here, my little girl will benefit. She loves you. All I want is for her to be well and happy. If that path leads to you, I will be happy for the both of you." After these words, his reserve broke and his voice wobbled. "Please John, talk to her. Give her the will to continue fighting."

John's heart almost broke when he heard those words. God, he wished he could perform a miracle. By now, he knew that she was in a coma and his words had so far provided no effect. Vera's bullet had pierced her lower left side, traveling at an angle, going through her intestines, destroying her left ovary, and coming to stop slightly above, where the external Iliac artery reached. It had been punctured and it was the reason she lost a lot of blood. He discovered that she'd had cardiac arrest in the ambulance too. The doctors said that if she woke, she would have limited ability to have children, with only one working ovary, but that it wasn't impossible. She could live a full life. Her digestive system would recover. Her body had been through shock, though, and as a protection, her brain had commanded she be in a coma. An elusive and moody organ, it was up to it, to determine when and how she would get better.

The doctors told him his leg would heal nicely, since the bullet had not damaged any bone or any of the components of his replacement hip. Being a corpulent man had saved him, as the muscles and fat of his leg had slowed the path of the projectile. At most, he would be sore and need to walk with a cane until his muscles strengthened. That seemed too easy in light of what Anna would have to go through. He was thankful, though. It meant he could be available to support her recuperation, not needing any extensive cures of his own.

Their first day in the shared room was emotionally draining. Visitors were allowed in for two hours in the morning. Besides the Carsons, there were others who came. A distraught Mary wept, while Matthew held her. Matthew took advantage to brief him. Now he was a widower, his divorce proceedings would be interrupted. John hadn't even thought of that. Instead of divorcee, he had the new title of widower. Matthew would need to verify if Vera had a will. If she didn't, by law, he would inherit all of her holdings. Robert escorted Cora in. She too cried when seeing Anna so helpless. They were followed by Sybil and Edith. Neither knew of John and Anna's relationship, it having been kept quiet by their parents and Mary. They were speechless during their visit. John wondered if his presence or their newfound knowledge of the relationship was what rendered them unusually quiet.

Phyllis asked to be allowed a visit, and John was more than happy to oblige. He had a soft place in his heart for the reclusive woman whom he'd helped years ago. She was one of his first rescues. He also took a bet on her when he brought her to work at Bates Airlift for him and had never once had reason to regret that decision.

She came in the early afternoon, during the later visiting hours. She was shy, as she entered the room. Her haggard looks also reflected just how harrowing this ordeal had been on her too. It hadn't been 24 hours yet since the incident, and she looked like she hadn't slept at all during that time.

"Mr. Bates," she exclaimed. There was relief in her eyes that she should see him so well. Since his bed was first, and Anna's was ensconced further into the room, Phyllis had not seen Anna yet. That relief turned to obvious grief when she looked upon Anna and the myriad of machines that she was hooked up to.

His simple greeting of "Phyllis," was pronounced with his gratitude evident in the pronunciation. "Thank you for what you did," he added a few seconds later, when he realized that looking at Anna so intently was making her emotional.

"I did nothing but make things worse," she added without looking at him in the eye. "Anna was shot because I made Vera stumble. If I hadn't done that, she'd still be well." She was standing at the foot of is bed, hardly able to move, her guilt overpowering her.

John did not believe that at all. "Vera was pointing the gun directly at Anna's head. She was about to shoot us. If she had achieved her goal, we wouldn't be here. Even though she's injured, she's alive now, Phyllis, thanks to you."

His spin on the situation brought a faint smile to the woman's lips. "I hope she gets well," she demurely added. She wasn't entirely sure she should believe him, but she was comforted that he didn't hate her.

"Me too," John added. He felt he couldn't say more. Nobody outside of the Crawleys knew of their relationship.

"You know, I was with her while she was still conscious." Phyllis came close to his bedside. She wouldn't reveal her role as incognitohelper, but she had a message to give him.

At this news, his face reflected that he seemed eager to get more information. "Did she suffer much?"

"Yes. She was in pain at first, but then she calmed down. Her thoughts were for you and for her parents."

His agony was extended again. In the middle of her pain, Anna had thought of him. He felt so unworthy of such a marvelous woman.

"I've already shared with the Carson's what she wanted them to know, and if you'll allow me, I'll tell you."

He nodded slowly, since the knot in his throat was not allowing him to speak.

"She wanted you to know that she loved you and that you made her very happy."

John nearly choked, unable to swallow. A million butterfly wings fluttered inside him, raising him up to the highest level of love he could imagine. His Anna was so kind and brave. She'd shared this when she thought her life was ending, wanting him to still have a piece of her when she was gone- one last eternal thought to comfort him and get him through the misery. It did in a way, but it also made him fall harder. From his momentary high, came the interminable spiral downwards. It was a long way down from the plateau he had reached. It hurt so much more when he reached rock bottom. The butterflies disappeared, replaced by an incessant stabbing sensation in his heart.

He turned to face Phyllis who could read his anguish perfectly.

"I've never loved anyone the way I love her," he said emphatically. It was time for him to be brave too and for the world to know. "I know not why you were still in the office and why you chose to help us, but I thank God you were there and that you witnessed it all. It could have been so different for all of us." They could all be dead or the police could have blamed him for Vera's death. He reached out his hand to clutch hers. "You'll do me one last favor, please. I don't know what the team knows or what you've said so far….."

She quickly interceded. "The police where there all night, questioning me and making sense of what happened. I called Robert and Anthony. Robert came to the hospital to see about you and Anthony made his way to the compound to help me manage and not stay alone. We also located Tom and he came immediately to inspect the helicopters for damage and help put up boards at the entrance where the Carson's and the police broke through to get to you. After the police were finished, we cleared the blood, since we had a large oil run this morning and didn't want our customers or the team to see that. The team asked questions, but I only said that Vera had us all as hostages and that I wasn't allowed to say more. They were shocked for sure. Anthony and Michael took charge this morning when the others arrived."

He was pleased to have such a responsive and reliable team.

"Thank you." He squeezed her hand. "This is what I want you to do."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Did we do the right thing by letting him share a room with her?" Elsie was racked with nerves. "He's not well right now," she added.

Elsie hadn't left the hospital since she arrived by ambulance with Anna. She'd had dozens of offers to go home and get cleaned up, but she had persisted in her desire to stay. She'd only consented to change out of the bloody outfit into something else when Robert's lovely wife Cora had brought her something size appropriate and comfortable. She wouldn't leave until she knew that Anna was no longer in the critical care unit. Once she was downgraded, she could spend most of the day in the room with her, making sure she was well looked after. Then she could relax.

"Yes, I believe so. If she wakes, she won't be scared with him around…..and, if she gets worse," and he had to stop himself from saying or implying anything else by that, "she'll not be alone, whatever happens."

Elsie couldn't imagine the turnaround her husband had experienced. The shock of seeing her lying on the floor had scarred him, and watching how Mr. Bates had dragged himself, even with an injury of his own, to be beside her, helped soften him up.

Just earlier, they had been at her side for over an hour. As her room companion, Mr. Bates was there and observing their every reaction. They'd already been in there once, when they'd implored him to talk to her. He tried to be stoic as he heard Elsie's pleas to her girl, but his struggle was evident when he suggested they spread the curtain if they desired more privacy. He offered it genuinely for their sake, since to them he was a stranger and they might be more comfortable alone, but a part of him realized the offer was also very self-serving. He didn't want them to see him cry and he was about to start. The catalyst for finally starting was when Charles reached over into his bed and put his hand on his shoulders, addressing him and answering his question.

"No privacy is needed, since we all have the same love for her and the same desire to see her better. We are a family now, and we will support each other in this."

John reached out to take Charles' hand. He could barely get any words out. "Thank You," was what he started with, but he ended with, "I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen." By that point, he could no longer contain himself and the tears streamed down his face. He hadn't apologized for putting Anna in harm's way, and it was the appropriate thing to do now that they were face to face again. It was easier said than done. Whatever was the proper way to convey such words? … And could they ever liberate him of these feelings of guilt?

Elsie rushed to his other side when she saw his emotion and Charles shushed him. "It is not necessary Mr. Bates." He added warmly. "It wasn't you that did this."

"I love her," John added, not convinced that he didn't share the burden of guilt. "…..and I intend to do right by her. Whatever happens, I'll be right here."

"We know, darling," Elsie added. "We have no doubt."

Elsie was so proud of her man for having the courage to change his ways and speak from the heart. Now, they were sitting, together, with his large fingers enveloped between her two small hands. They looked at the others who were still there. Mary had left and come back, and was always accompanied by another member of the Crawley family. They took turns covering the pub so that Robert and she could be there as long as they could, yet they couldn't afford the luxury of shutting down their business, no matter how much they wanted too. Phyllis was very kind too. They discovered this when they had the opportunity to see her again. She was in there visiting them now.

Elsie sighed, resigned to spend another night sitting in the waiting room and that was still hours away. She laid her head against Charles' chest as he leaned against the only comfortable two seater sofa in the room. They were both prepared to wait as long as it took.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Joe hadn't received a response from Ms. Baxter since yesterday and that had bothered him greatly. He knew she wasn't even online, able as he was to view zero server activity from her IP address network. It was a possibility that she had disappeared into cyber world again, having redone her elaborate veil of network connections to elude him, but Joe had the sensation that this was not it. When Anna didn't respond to any of his texts, he felt certain something was happening. He finally reached Charles by mid-afternoon and he'd heard the dreadful news. He didn't know how he hadn't figured it out sooner on his own, but he hadn't been tracking Vera, or Anna, or the Carson's to know what they had been up to. He hadn't even read or seen the news, for if he had, we would have seen the item regarding the shooting at the Bates Airlift compound. Gun violence was not common in their part of the world, and when it did happen, it was newsworthy.

He was torn. Anna was in the hospital, critically wounded. This deserved a visit, but that meant that he would have to leave his house, something he didn't want to do, and normally never did. He started to feel his anxiety well up within him. This was his sanctuary where he could avoid people and the thought that if he ventured out, he might have to deal with them, vexed him completely. This was an extreme situation, though. He ran his hands through his thinning hair. Oh, what to do? Anna deserved his effort. Maybe Miss Baxter would be there.

An hour later, he was sitting in his father's late model Fiat, being shuttled to the York hospital. He didn't know how to drive, requiring his father's help. Mr. Molesley was shocked to get the request from his son, and obliged immediately, even putting together a festive and bright bouquet for the wonderful Anna he had heard so much about. She must be something special to get his son out of the house.

"I'll be around, so don't worry about me. Take as long as you like," offered the gentle older man, as Joe emerged from the car. He made his way timeously through the sliding doors. It was cool inside. That would be helpful, as he felt himself beginning to sweat. The information desk lady was kind enough to direct him when he had mustered enough courage to ask her of Anna's whereabouts. It wasn't too far and he read the signs for every corner he encountered twice, to make sure he was heading in the right direction. Even with the cool air coming out of the overhead vents, moisture accumulated on his brow. The sweat beads were coming down his temple. He rubbed his head against the sleeves of his jumper when he found what he was looking for. The waiting room was before him.

He pulled the door open and noticed groups of people. Different types, all with the same worried faces. Mostly strangers, all currently joined in a brotherhood of grief. He shouldn't worry about any of them. They were too mired in their problems to notice him and that made him feel better. At the far end, there was a couple that could only be the Carsons. They had never met, all of their transactions having always been handled via telephone, but he would recognize them anywhere. He had seen all of Anna's pictures and those of them in their own personal files.

He locked eyes with Elsie as he approached them. She had a peaceful aura, even if they were currently full of worry and sorrow. She was very much the mother figure he imagined she would be. "Elsie?" he asked sheepishly when he was standing in front.

He saw both of their eyes widen with surprise. They'd obviously recognized his voice. "Joe?" they asked as they stood.

He nodded. "How is she?" he asked.

"The same as before. There has been no change since the surgery. All of her vital signs are stable, but she is still unconscious." Elsie's demeanor was wistful.

"I brought her these," he explained as he put forth his beautiful bouquet. His father really had outdone himself. All the blooms were in their prime and full of color.

"Oh, they are so lovely. These will definitely cheer her up as soon as she's awake," she offered with appreciation.

Charles took them from the young man. "Visiting hours are over," he explained. "Phyllis Baxter from the office is there now, utilizing the last 15 minutes available for today." She looked at the clock on the wall. "It's 5 past 5. I am sure she's on her way back now."

He hadn't expected that he would be able to see Anna, but he had hoped. Charles' words, then, wounded him severely. He had made such an effort to come. "I thought I read that they allowed visitors until 7pm?" he asked as stoically as possible.

"Yes, but that will be when she is out of critical care and on another floor. Until then, we are limited to only a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. It has been explained to us that it would be too taxing on their caregivers to sort out all of the people when she is still so very ill and in need of very close monitoring."

"Of course," he answered. He understood now where his confusion lay. If he hadn't taken so long to make up his mind about coming, maybe he would have arrived on time.

"There she is now," Charles gestured and Joe turned around. "Phyllis, this is our family friend, Joe Molesley." Charles couldn't really call him a business associate and have everybody ask them what he and Elsie did for a living. He was aware that Anna suspected Phyllis of being the incognito tweeter and the person who had sent the anonymous notes, which meant that Phyllis might know more than she led on, but this was not the time, nor the place to figure out who was involved in what. The fact that Phyllis was present during the shooting almost cemented his idea that she was exactly who Anna thought she was. He also had no way of knowing that Joe and Phyllis had already learned of each other and had established their own professional rapport. Thus, he was oblivious to the stunned faces each one flashed momentarily before composing themselves and appearing both proper and ambivalent.

"Mr. Molesley, pleased to meet you," interjected Phyllis first as she offered him her hand. She would have never guessed she would ever meet her cyber friend, and least of all in a hospital waiting room. He seemed just as nervous as she was; sweating even. He was average height and a bit lanky. The poor man was slightly mismatched in his clothing which usually happened with the computer expert type. He wasn't too handsome either, but that didn't matter to her at all. The previous man in her life had been devilishly good looking and it did her no good. But why was she even assessing his looks? She could care less about men, and Mr. Molesley was just a new friend who had shown much promise in helping her achieve her hobby goals. She concentrated at the introductions instead.

"Likewise, Miss Baxter." Joe fumbled for anything else to say, but failed. Instead, he paid attention to her deep dark eyes. She was pretty in a soulful kind of way. Not like Anna, whose blond hair was spun from the sun's rays and whose eyes were plucked from the blue of the ocean's depths. But, Phyllis had a calming effect on him. Her black hair was practical and pulled back to a loose bun. She was soft, all around, even if she was wearing black clothes that looked a bit harsh on her. Her smile was simple and sufficient for him. He had to agree that he liked what he saw, very much.

Phyllis imagined that if they were both behind a computer screen, they would be already typing away furiously, hashing together a conversation and solving all of the problems they had taken on. In person, both of them were clueless and could not figure out how to move on from there. This, in part, because they had witnesses. Elsie and Charles looked on.

Elsie in her infinite wisdom saved them both from more awkwardness. "Is there any news, dear?"

"No, Mrs. Carson," acknowledged a grateful Phyllis. "Anna is the same, but I spoke to Mr. Bates. He's well."

Charles sighed. "No news is good news, right?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

As the evening dawned, John worried. His leg was still elevated and he couldn't get close to her, not like he wanted. In between visitors and in the hours where there weren't any, he'd called out to her from his bed, since it was the only thing he could do. He was close enough that she might hear him, but he doubted she would. "Anna, darling, wake up," he'd say as loving as possible. "Anna, my love. I'm right here. Come back to me." The low pings of her heart machine and the constant noise of the ventilator would drown him out. He'd observed how the doctors and nurses would poke and prod her to no avail. She was stable, yet unresponsive. Towards the evening, they decided to take her off breathing support. They said it was normal and that she could breathe on her own. He held his own respiration the whole time. As predicted, she was fine. The doctors said it was a good sign and he breathed a sigh of relief.

They had also made him stand for five minutes, as part of his own recuperation. All his intravenous drips were removed too. This was less painful than what he had survived almost 19 years ago, but it was agony nonetheless. His entire leg seized up, his muscles failing to support his body. He braved through it because he had a mission. When finished, he slid back into bed as instructed, but as soon as his rehabilitation team left, he got back out on his two feet.

He had studied the layout of the room. The beds were parallel to each other. Now that the breathing machine was gone, there was only a small utilitarian cabinet separating the two beds. The rest of her vital connections were on the other side. It was a fabulous discovery. All he had to do was move the metallic cabinet out of the way, and then he could push his bed closer to hers, allowing for freer conversation. He reckoned the nurses wouldn't like that, but he had to try. If he managed the right angle, they might even let him keep it.

He stood on one leg and hopped the few steps to the offending piece of furniture. It looked as if it was heavy, but it was lighter than he thought. It screeched, though, when he tugged at it and pulled it towards him. Every few inches, he needed to stand on his injured leg to gain his balance and master the remaining space. Those few instances made him bend across the cabinet in pain, but he muddled through until it was out of his way. He was already feeling woozy from the strain of his efforts when he reached his next challenge. He found the breaks on the wheels and unclasped them to make his bed mobile. The easiest way, he surmised, was to turn around, and push with his back against the side of the top of his bed. HE held on to the railing with one hand and the mattress with the other, and with his one good leg, pushed. The force was just enough to make it budge. He only concentrated on the top part, since his desire was to form a sort of "V" where their heads would be together, even if their legs were pointing in opposite directions. He couldn't block access to her completely, lest she need immediate attention from both of her sides. It would be enough for her care team to access her.

It was an odd formation, but it pleased him greatly to be so much closer. He crawled back into bed exhausted. It was amazing how one medical incident could drain him of so much energy. After breathing in and resting for a few minutes, he inched up as far to the top corner as he could, where their beds met. He managed to shift on his side so that he could have a better view. He reached out to touch her hand.

He was unprepared for the emotions that overran his heart the moment he touched her. She was so cold. That spark of heat was missing, her brightness and aura greatly diminished, if in existence at all. Tears came to his eyes. He felt ill, his heart in pain. He had so much he wanted to say and he felt tongue tied. What should he start with? How much he loved her? How he was sorry his mad wife had done this to her? He was gentle as he ran his hands up and down her arms. She should feel him. Maybe that would help.

"Anna, love. It's me. John…..or, …Mr. Bates if you prefer to call me that. I'm right here, next to you. You've been hurt, but the doctor says you will be fine just as long as you wake up." He traced his hand up her clavicle and shoulder, rubbing very gently. His caress was very slight and loving.

"You're sleeping right now, and that is fine, because you need your rest to get better. Sleep if that is what you need, but, darling, do come back to me. I'm a weak man and a fearful man. I don't know how to go on without you." His voice was thick with emotion. "I need you. Now that you are a part of my life, I can't imagine you not walking by my side. We'll have a glorious life together. Can you imagine it?" His hand had made its way up her neck and under her jaw and he was grazing her skin, hoping it would stimulate her to wake up. "It will be just the two of us for a while. I want to marry you and travel with you. With Maggie, can you imagine all the places we can go to? Anyplace you've ever wanted to visit, I will take you. And we'll be so happy together. I know this because you already make me so content. We've only been together for a short time, but that is all the time I need to know that I could never be happy with anyone else."

He inclined his body as forward as he could and gained a few inches of additional territory. He was leaning over her, by a few inches. He couldn't reach her lips, as he so desired. If he put too much weight on the top corner of the bed, it would topple, as heavy as he was, and that wouldn't do either of them any good. Still, it was enough that he could cup her face with one hand, while holding her own hand in his other free one.

"Anna, darling. Come back to me. There is still so much that you need to do. And after we've had an opportunity to see the world, we'll have a family." He so wanted this to be true. Her injuries would not make it impossible to have children, as she still had one ovary left, but it would be more challenging. He was getting on in age and that certainly wouldn't help. "Can you imagine a little girl that looks like you, or a little boy that looks like me? They'll be ours, my love, and we'll be so happy that we will never remember that this ever happened to us."

The more he talked, the deeper the pain in his heart. She showed no reaction to his words, none at all. His tears had not ceased as he spoke, and they were now more pronounced.

"Anna, please come back to me."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The façade of Bates Airlift looked like such a train wreck, but according to Ethel, the contractor would be in the office today to retrofit the new glass panels in the entryway. Phyllis was pleased that Anthony had accelerated the process to have this ready immediately. Besides being necessary for their brand image, when Anna and Mr. Bates came back to work, because she firmly believed that they would, she wanted everything to look absolutely normal, like this whole hideous incident had never happened.

Instead of being the first to arrive, as happened most days, she was decidedly late. It was almost 930am. The excuse for her tardiness was dread. She hadn't slept much, for a second day in a row. She hated to do public speaking, but he had asked her and she couldn't refuse. His words had been too kind. She had gone over them in her head at least a dozen times already,

"But… me, Mr. Bates? Shouldn't it be Mr. Crawley, or somebody with more authority?" She was deeply mortified that she should manage this missive.

He looked at her with an adoration that she was not accustomed to. "You, my dear, because nobody would doubt you. You have been nothing but trustworthy and loyal since you came to work for me, and because you were there, and saw and heard it all. They will believe you, and I couldn't imagine a better emissary for Anna and I during this time. You'll know exactly what to say."

She was grateful for his trust, even with everything he knew about her.

And now it was time to act. They were all there now, in the conference room waiting for her to say something. Ethel had gotten them all together, and with so many questions left unanswered about what had happened, she had all of their attention. She was only missing two pilots, Jack and Tony, as they had already started their runs. Although that should have meant a full room, it was still sparse in there, what with Thomas and Richard in jail, Vera dead and both Anna and Mr. Bates in the hospital; it wasn't as full as it used to be.

"So, what's the news?" asked Sarah. "Are you going to tell us what is going on?" Her tone was less demanding and mean than in other occasions. She seemed genuinely concerned.

She nodded and smiled bashfully. "Mr. Bates asked me to speak to you in his name. He has given me permission to explain some aspects of what happened two days ago."

Nobody interrupted her and she explained the bare basics of the situation – Mainly how Vera had come upon Anna and Mr. Bates in the hangar, and how she had tried to extort him into helping her escape. She didn't want to get too detailed in the logistics of this part of the story and she didn't want to explain exactly how she came to be a witness, so, she invented that she had returned to the office because she forgot something and became the unwitting witness to the violence that ensued.

"So, Vera shot them both?" Michael couldn't believe it.

"Vera was being very erratic towards the end. She was threatening Anna specifically, after having bludgeoned her. The gun discharged and actually did hit Anna when we tried to subdue her. Mr. Bates then tried to wrestle the gun away from Vera and both he and she were injured too."

"Is it true that Vera is dead?" James asked with consternation.

"Yes," responded Phyllis. "She died upon arrival to the hospital."

She was glad that bit of information had already leaked, because she would not have liked to be the one to give them the official notification. Only Sarah looked sad.

"But why would Vera want to bludgeon and shoot Anna?" Daisy asked innocently, not worried at all that their owner had just died. The firm's ownership was now in question, but nobody seemed to care. Gwen nodded her head after Daisy spoke, eluding that she had the same question as her friend.

"It's complicated," Phyllis answered. "But I will try to explain." She sipped from a glass of water, all the time wishing it had been something stronger. She could use more encouragement and vodka would have done nicely.

"You know how for years, we've all known that Mr. and Mrs. Bates were not exactly happy? That there marriage was essentially over and that he put up with a lot of questionable behaviors from her?" She could see several people nodding in the room. It had always been painfully obvious to everybody that Vera's actions against her husband were on purpose.

"Ummmm…Vera perpetrated the fraud that landed Mr. Bates in jail. We are more than convinced that she was cuckoo…" Gwen added sarcastically, agreeing with Phyllis and hoping to move the explanation along.

Phyllis nodded in agreement. "For whatever reason that only Mr. Bates knows, Vera wanted to inflict as much hardship on him as she could. Her plan involved landing him in jail, destroying the company he built, and …."She paused without intending to, wanting to be certain of her words. "….. hurting the woman he loved."

There she said it. As she looked across the room, she could discern those who might have understood from those who hadn't. Gwen's eyes widened and she was rendered speechless. The cogs in Sarah's brain were also working and her jaw dropped. Michael had a faraway look, as if he was trying to process the information. Daisy appeared to have no clue of what Phyllis has just implied. Alfred and William had vacant stares. She couldn't tell with Anthony. His expression was unreadable.

"So," Evelyn spoke as he scratched his head. "Are you saying that Anna was targeted because Mr. Bates loved her?"

Phyllis smiled sweetly as a sign of affirmation before continuing. "Mr. Bates would like you all to know that after he started his divorce proceedings from Vera, he and Anna entered into a relationship and even though it's not been long, he and Anna both love each other."

There was a gasp from Gwen, accompanied by a dull worded "What?"

Phyllis imagined Gwen might be the person to be most surprised, as she had seen Anna and the redhead form a solid friendship. No knowledge of this liaison between two people she admired could be hurtful. Gwen definitely appeared dazed. Or maybe Sarah was the most surprised, judging by the aura of dread that came about her. She was whiter than the winter snow.

"Anna and Mr. Bates are together. She helped Matthew Crawley find the evidence that exonerated him and she visited him in jail several times. Although it was not apparent to us, they have formed a strong bond." Phyllis felt elated explaining that.

"Oh my God. How lovely," screeched Daisy. "Mr. Bates has always seemed like such a romantic figure to me and Anna is just so kind. They are perfect together." She appeared genuinely delighted. She could also see some sincere and positive faces from Anthony and Michael. The others appeared ambivalent.

Phyllis smiled at Daisy before continuing. While others might not agree with Daisy's comment, she too believed her boss to be a romantic figure. She always had the sense that he was an old soul from another time; a gallant gentleman from the turn of the century transplanted into the modern world. She also believed that Anna and Mr. Bates made a good match. She'd seen them together and was convinced she was good for him.

"Anna is in a critical condition right now. She survived her surgery and is in a coma. With her, only time will tell. Mr. Bates was also injured, but he should be released from the hospital by tomorrow. His injuries were substantially milder than hers."

"I don't want to sound callous, because I am sorry for what both have been through, but what happens now?" Alfred chimed in. "Who owns Vera's part?...Mr. Bates?"

Tom gave him a look that confirmed the question was indeed callous.

"Yes," added James, not noticing that the question had been frowned upon. "Who is the Manager now? We're losing employees left and right."

"For the time being, Anthony will manage," and she pointed her head in his direction. Anthony nodded, but his countenance was ruled by sorrow.

Phyllis continued. "I cannot tell you what will happen to Vera's part. It will go to whoever was listed in her will, is what I imagine. The lawyers will be sorting it out soon." It was time to tell the team the other interesting bit. She hadn't even been aware of this information that Mr. Bates had shared with her yesterday. With a full breath filling her lungs, she continued. "Mr. Crawley is at the hospital now, seeing to Mr. Bates. If not, he would have been here to tell you something else."

"Oh Lord. Don't tell us there is more!" Sarah interrupted. "I'm still not over the last part."

Anthony's facial expressions demonstrated the same nerves that Sarah had shone, but he was more reserved. He said nothing.

"Yes, there is…" Using a stronger voice, she emphasized, "Anna is the majority owner of the part Mr. Bates sold, not Mr. Crawley, and she has been fooling us all along."

"Blimey!" uttered a stoic Anthony.

"Blimey indeed," responded Phyllis. "She did this out of love for him. Mr. Bates would like us all to afford Anna the respect that she deserves, because she is the one who saved this company from Thomas and Vera and if it wasn't for her, none of us might still be here."

This time, there were no quick comments or questions. Silence governed the room, as everybody digested what Phyllis had just shared. Phyllis imagined that they were all wondering how somebody as young as Anna could have the funds to buy into such ownership. Phyllis wondered about that too, even though in her background check on Anna, she was aware that as an orphan, she would have inherited her father's wealth.

Tom finally broke the silence a moment later. "She already had my respect," he offered, "but now she has my admiration." He had been largely quiet during the proceeding. Having been called upon by Anthony and Phyllis to come help restore the compound to adequate operability after the attack, he had been devastated to see the large pools of blood on the tarmac. He had done his duty, but wept internally for the beautiful young lady who had done nothing but good things since she arrived. Her latest stunt landed him a date with lovely Sybil whom he was already pining for. All of this happening no less than two months ago from when Anna had been attacked by Richard Carlisle. How unfortunate, he believed, that bad things happened to good people.

"I second that," added Alfred.

Phyllis was pleased that the conversation had gone well, albeit the shocked faces that still struggled to grapple all of the news.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"What on earth is this set up, John?" Robert exclaimed when he saw the way the beds in the room were arranged.

They were still in a "V", the way John had moved them the night before.

"This is the set up where I can be closest to Anna without interfering in her medical care. The staff has allowed me to keep it this way because they can still access her."

Matthew was more skeptical. "Are you sure they've allowed it?" he asked as he pulled a chair to set his briefcase upon.

"Yes, they have. They were not happy that I moved it, and I was chastised by the night time nurse, but she had a rather large heart and helped me position the bed to a more appropriate and allowable placement."

"How kind," Robert mused.

"She was. They agree that if I talk to Anna, it might help bring her out of her state, and that is what I have been doing when we are alone." He sat up, careful to cover himself with the bed's blankets. His tiny robe didn't cover nearly as much of his flesh as he'd like.

Matthew smirked, and slightly winked before joining Robert and standing between both beds so that he could see Anna. "How is she?" he asked with sorrow.

"Stable. That is all I am told." He sighed with resignation, but rebounded quickly with more positivism. "That's better than bad, and I will not complain. She's better than when she arrived and her heart is strong."

"We need you back, Anna." Robert whispered close to her ear, but careful not to disturb her. "You've become indispensable to all of us…. And my friend John won't be the same without you."

John was touched at Robert's efforts. Matthew didn't say much, but he too stood by Anna's bed quietly for several minutes.

Matthew reacted and returned to his briefcase. "Listen, we only have a few minutes because the Carson's need to come up here and Mary is waiting her turn, but I felt it necessary to talk to you and Robert together about the situation and you may have some papers to sign.

John acquiesced curiously. "So, tell me."

"When do you want to start the reversal of the ownership now that your divorce is no longer needed?" Matthew was all business.

John ran his hand through his hair. "I've been thinking about that, actually."

"And?" interrupted Robert when John didn't continue with his thoughts on the matter.

"And…..I've decided that I won't reverse."

Robert was sure that he'd heard wrong. "You mean you want to wait until Anna is better?"

"No, Robert. I won't reverse. Not after what's happened." Before anybody could protest, John continued. "The truth is - you opened my eyes. Anna took a great leap of faith for me. She did this to save my company, when I was in jail and things seemed impossible. She's shown such love and trust in this short time, and she's paid a terrible price for it." His passion was seeping through, the tone of his voice increasing as he relayed his reasons. "I couldn't, under any circumstance, reverse the ownership and leave her in the cold."

"Just to be clear, John," Matthew added in a very analytical tone, "Anna, if you reverse, is still part owner, although her stake is much smaller. The same with Robert. You are not cheating her out of anything. You just get back your 35%."

It was evident that John did not agree. His eyes spoke of what he was thinking, words not necessary at the moment.

"Yes, mate. You are not cheating us out of anything. We'll still have our stake." Robert tried to explain. "I think Anna would appreciate if you let her be a part of running the whole operation. That should make her very happy." Robert remembered what really mattered to Anna and he thought John should honor her wishes.

"I think she should continue to run the whole operation. She's done a magnificent job and the current agreement should stand." He turned to look at Matthew. "We don't have to do anything to make it happen, right?"

Before Matthew could answer, Robert interjected again. "But what will you do? You realize that if you don't reverse, you basically have nothing?... Think about it John…. This is your company, essentially, and what you are doing means that it no longer is." With added emphasis, Robert added. "You'll have nothing. Nothing at all."

"Nonsense. My assets should be unfrozen by now." He looked towards Matthew for affirmation.

Matthew nodded in agreement.

"I have the house to sell, my own bank accounts with ample funds, and I have Maggie. There is more than enough money to make an offer and buy the remaining half of the company from whomever Vera had as her heir. I won't be separating myself entirely. We'll end up being partners is all…"

Robert's countenance relaxed when he heard John's explanation, but he was still skeptical.

"Well, actually….." Matthew finally decided to comment on John's plan. "There is still a waiting period to determine if there are any claims on Vera's assets by anybody that can produce a legal will, but, I consulted with her solicitors yesterday. They tell me that Vera had them draw up a will, making sure that you were cut out."

"That's expected," John mused. He wasn't surprised at all. "So, who did she leave everything to?"

Matthew had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He seemed very pleased with himself.

"She never signed it, John. It was meant to bridge the gap while the divorce went through and the date for that had already been settled and was so close to happening that she didn't worry about it anymore and let the matter slide. They wouldn't tell me the contents, but, they agreed that in the absence of a signed copy, and because your divorce appointment was to happen this week, but never took place, the government gives you, her spouse, rights as sole heir."

John appeared as if he had just heard the tallest tale. "What?" he asked after a few seconds. He couldn't fathom that Vera wouldn't have taken this precaution, seeing through her hatred until the very end.

"Essentially John, we wait for six months and if there is no proof of an alternate will, Bates Airlift, the money, and all of her other investments are all yours."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Thomas' face was sore, but he wouldn't go to the doctor's office, lest it be known that he'd been fighting. Richard had landed two good punches on his face before he'd managed to knock the man to the ground. The bruise under his eye was turning purple, and it was impossible to hide, but, as long as he didn't make it official to the prison authorities, there would be no consequences.

Richard was gaunt, a shell of the man he used to be, and now they resided in the same prison. As long as he stuck to his side of the housing block, they would be fine.

He'd been advised he had a visitor, and thinking it was his lawyer, he made his way to the visitation room. Who he encountered instead was Jimmy, and his heart started pounding. They hadn't seen each other since his arrest. He understood that with Jimmy still being in the closet, and their relationship still being on a casual level, it was unlikely he would ever get any support from him. His presence, then, was a shock.

"What happened to your face?" Jimmy asked before Thomas could inquire about his visit.

Thomas thought about lying, but he had nothing to be ashamed of and explained truthfully. "That cretin, Richard Carlisle, thought that because we knew each other from Bates Airlift, we could be friends in here. But….. I don't associate with men of his type."

Jimmy appeared confused. "What type?" he asked as he scowled.

Thomas wouldn't say it because he didn't want to affirm his guilt surrounding the fraud, but he was a criminal with standards. He had endured some abuse as a child, and couldn't condone attacks against women and children. "The type who preys on other people," he added instead. "He attacked Anna, and maybe others. I don't want anything to do with him."

"But you didn't like Anna," stated Jimmy sarcastically.

"Sarah and Vera were the ones who disliked her. I was ambivalent. It's not the same…" He was adamant that the difference be understood. "….. but it doesn't matter. He could have beaten a random anybody and I still wouldn't want anything to do with him."

Thomas wanted to move away from the conversation of him, and before Jimmy could ask anything else, he embarked on his own set of questions. "Enough about me. I'm surprised you are here. I didn't picture you like the visiting type." He was still pleased, though. He liked Jimmy very much.

Jimmy shrugged. He had, in fact, debated with himself over coming for a visit. He wouldn't have, if he were honest, except for Vera having died. Regardless of what happened with Thomas, he was still very fond of the man and with his best friend dead, additional support might be needed.

"I'm here because I thought you could use a friend, now that you've lost one."

Thomas tilted his head, wondering what Jimmy meant by such a phrase. "What do you mean?"

Thomas did not understand and in that moment, Jimmy realized that nobody had bothered to tell him that Vera was gone. He felt incredibly awkward. Communicating the news itself hadn't been within the scope of his visit, but he couldn't avoid it now that he was here.

Jimmy swallowed hard before uttering the words. "Vera died at the compound a couple of days ago. I thought your lawyers would have told you by now."

If he weren't already sitting, Thomas might have fallen to the ground. Vera dead? But how? She should have already made it to Switzerland, where they'd agreed to meet. She should be waiting for him when he was finished with all of this legal mess.

Through the haze of his nebulous thoughts, he heard Jimmy mention something else about Anna and Mr. Bates having been shot too. Vera did that? She once mentioned she'd obtained a gun illegally, but he didn't believe her capable of violence. He didn't believe she would take her revenge that far.

The pain in his heart was too much. He felt a chill run down his body and tears in his eyes threatened to spill over. He covered his eyes so people wouldn't see.

He was sad for her, but he worried most about himself. She was paying for his lawyers, and they were good, among the best in the region. He would probably get less time to serve than if he used the services of his majesty's public defenders. That patronage would likely end. He didn't have enough money now his main bank account had been found and confiscated. He needed to save the rest of his assets so that he could start a new life when he was out of here.

"I'm sorry. I knew how well you two got on, and I guess this complicates your situation even more." Jimmy felt heartbroken for his friend. He hadn't expected to and it surprised him how much compassion he felt. He couldn't just leave him alone and friendless. Thomas wasn't even reacting, as sorrow ridden as he was.

Jimmy reached towards the hand that was left on the table. He put his hand over Thomas' slightly, not wanting to cause a distraction to the other visitors.

Thomas felt the comfort of another human's touch and momentarily uncovered his eyes. Jimmy was looking at him with tenderness he'd never expected to experience in this place. He felt overwhelmed.

"Barrow party - NO TOUCHING!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Joe sat in front of his screen, amassing the courage to write Ms. Baxter. She'd caused a good impression on him, and he'd hardly been able to stop thinking about her since he had left the hospital. He still had a soft spot for Anna; he didn't think it would ever subside, but he was more convinced that Anna's love for Mr. Bates made his crush on her a lost cause. He ought to move on and Ms. Baxter seemed lovely. He'd like to get to know more of her, but how? He wasn't keen on leaving his house again for a while.

Should he reach out to her or just let things be? He didn't even have an excuse. Did normal blokes have this problem? Or just cyber geeks like him? He would have to think of something.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**How are you?**

Phyllis stared at the screen. What should she respond to Mr. Molesley? Their encounter yesterday had been odd enough.

She should at least respond. She wrote a quick - **Tired. What about you?**

That was nothing but the truth. She needed a good night's rest. The last 48 hours had been impossible. She was drained mentally and physically.

**Happy to have met you. I didn't expect it. **

Wow. A jolt of nervous energy traversed her body. That was a kind thing to say, if unexpected, and she felt the same way, if she were honest. He had even used a smiley faced emoji, which was cute. She wondered what would be appropriate for her to answer. She expected she ought to be honest. It would be the easiest way to go about it.

**I didn't expect it either. It was nice. **She could have added an emoji, but it wasn't her style.

She wondered how they would get onto another topic after this. With the death of Vera, their reason for correspondence ended. Anna no longer had a case to work on, having discovered her identity, and having gotten Mr. Bates out of prison. Joe didn't have any more pending tasks and there really wasn't a reason for them to correspond anymore. They weren't friends either. All they were was cyber acquaintances.

**Maybe we could SKYPE some time. I'd love your opinion on cases I am working on. I don't work exclusively for the Carson, you know… and maybe I can help you with some of the work that you do?**

A smile formed on her face. She would like that, a lot.

0-0-0-0-0-0

John felt ill, but it wasn't his wound that was causing the problem. Dr. Clarkson had been around to see him and confirmed his worst nightmare. He would be discharged in the morning. There was no reason for him to remain any longer and his bed in the critical care unit could not continue to be occupied by somebody with non-critical health. He ought to be happy, and under any other circumstance, he would be, but he didn't want to leave. Once he did, he'd be relegated to the two hour, twice a day visiting schedule, and he'd be competing with others for time with her.

Dr. Clarkson had also confirmed that Anna was progressing nicely, she still had a way to go to recover, but all her vital signs were strong and her wounds were healing appropriately. The nurse changed the bandages and bade him a good night. Anna's antibiotics were added to her IV drip, and they wouldn't be coming round unless any of the monitors detected a change in her condition.

This was his last night, and he needed to make it count. If they wouldn't be coming all night, he might take a more assertive approach. He'd been talking to her at all times, but he still felt he was too far for her to hear him. He needed to be beside her; close enough for her to feel his warmth. Close enough that he could hold her and kiss her.

Feeling stronger, he descended from the bed and pushed it so it was now flush against hers. He had kept a towel that had been used to give him a towel bath and it proved helpful as he tied the two legs of the bed together. He intended to lower the rails, eliminating the barriers between them. Even when the bed had brakes, it didn't hurt to make sure the bed didn't shift, dropping him to the ground. When it was all ready, he climbed back up, relieved to have more direct access to her. He inched his way across, and he was pleased that there was enough space on her side for him to occupy a fraction of it. He was cautious, though, as her wound was on the left side and he didn't want to interfere with it. He positioned his pillow next to hers and laid his head on it. He could now start his work.

"Darling, it's me again. I'm supposed to leave tomorrow, but it's not permanent. I'll not have a bed, but I will be downstairs with Elsie and Charles and between the three of us, we'll keep vigil with you as long as it takes. Mary and Robert have been to see you, as well as the rest of the Crawley women. Everybody from the compound sends their best, and we all want to see you better."

His hand sought her arm and he laced his fingers with hers, carefully. She didn't have a drip on that hand, but she still had a needle connection where they delivered certain medications. He massaged her fingers gently, hoping this might stimulate her.

"Robert told me about your investment, love. I know it was you who saved the company. I'm blessed to have you in my life. You know… You've shown more faith in me than anybody else. I couldn't believe that you would do that – that you would risk it all for somebody like me…. I've made so many mistakes in my life and am old and decrepit. You are so full of life, and have such a future ahead of you. You could have done anything with that money, but you chose to save me. I'll not forget that, darling….. You need to get better, because you have a company to run. The portion of Bates Airlift that you currently own will stay yours, and without you, the place cannot operate."

He balanced himself on his elbow so that he could look at her directly in the face. She appeared so peaceful. She was a sleeping angel, or a sleeping princess; like one of the fairytales that little girls loved. She was his sleeping beauty. He sighed. There were so many things he wanted to tell her.

"Anna, love…. I need you too. You must come back to me. I wouldn't know how to live without you anymore. It's impossible….. Jail was a test, and I failed miserably at it. I need you by my side… Vera's gone and I can marry you now. I need you to marry me and make me the happiest man in the world. Will you do that, please?"

He leaned over her, careful not to disturb the rest of her body. Her lips were pail, but he felt the need to kiss her. Didn't the sleeping princess always wake after her true love kissed her? Wasn't true love's kiss the antidote to all evil? It never hurt to try.

His lips touched hers, and it was soft and gentle. They remained joined for at least a minute and still, there was no reaction. He felt butterflies in his stomach, since he was placing so much hope on this touch. He didn't expect her to kiss back, but maybe, if she was listening, she could cause a reaction. He looked up, towards her eyes, expecting a miracle, but saw nothing. The nervous energy within him was sapped away, and it turned into sadness.

Maybe true love's kiss as an antidote only happened in the fairy tales. He was no prince either and maybe that was the problem. Was the universe trying to tell him that she deserved someone else? A better man could have made it work. Reconciled to the idea of his failure, he started to ease himself down again, when he thought he saw the smallest reaction from her. Did her eyelashes flutter? He came back up into the same position. Was he imagining it? He stared at her face again.

"Darling, is that you? Can you hear me?" For several minutes, he repeated those words like a mantra, as he caressed her arms. He lay down again, in a morose mood, when after several minutes, nothing had happened. There wasn't enough light, so, he must have imagined it. He'd have to keep trying in the hours he had left.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The thoughts came in a jumbled fashion and she could hardly understand them - Snippets of words, then entire sentences. Sometimes it was crying. Still, she couldn't make sense of it. She heard her mum and dad talking to her. They were dead, though. It had been over ten years since she had heard their voices, but she was sure it was them. Was she dreaming? Her God mum Elsie cried, and implored she come back. Pops, with his commanding voice, said the same thing. Come back from where, she didn't know. Was she gone? And then, she heard him, imploring her to not leave him. As if she ever could. Didn't he realize by now that she was lost without him?

She was so confused, and in pain. A heavy weight was pressing down on the left side of her abdomen and she couldn't shift it. She sometimes felt like she couldn't breathe, couldn't fight it any longer. The weight was smothering her, but when she felt like giving up and letting the weight drown her, she would hear his voice calling her in the distance. "John, where are you?" she would yell out to him, but he could never hear her. Yet, he continued to talk, so that she could follow his voice and make her way towards him. It helped her in the unending battle with the oppressive weight. She wanted to be rid of it.

She heard him again, but this time it was clearer. He sounded so close – closer than ever before. "Keep talking love," she wanted to say, "I can almost reach you," but the thoughts in her head were not converting to the actions she wanted her brain to take. She was talking, and there were no words being pronounced. He was saying something about being old and decrepit and her running the company. That's right… she owned a company. She had so much to do. And he wasn't old, and certainly not decrepit. He was perfect.

She could feel his warmth. It was radiating inside of her. Her fingers were burning with the heat of him. It was intense, and it produced tingling in her body. Oh how she loved his caress. He was touching her, yet, she still couldn't find him. He was so close, but she felt surrounded by a haze.

What was he saying now? "Love, keep talking. Keep your voice strong. I can't find you if you whisper," she repeated.

She needed to get out of this haze. Did he hear her? She didn't think so. He was saying something about coming back to him and that he couldn't live alone or without her. That was lovely. She felt the same way. Wait…. Did he just say that Vera was gone and that he wanted to marry her? Her heart was filled with happiness, and for a moment, she couldn't feel the damn rock anymore. It lifted and went away. He wanted to marry her, and she wanted to be married to him. That would be perfect….

"Yes", she answered." Can you hear me John, I said yes."

He couldn't hear her. Why? She failed to understand. Why was he so close, yet so far away? It didn't make sense. But then… something changed. The burning sensation moved from her fingers to her mouth. She was on fire again. He was kissing her and she could feel his breath giving her new life. The haze lifted briefly and she saw him. He had that beautiful smile, the one she hadn't seen except when she was with him, and his dark eyes were so expressive. They crinkled when he smiled and they were brighter than she'd ever seen them. God he was lovely and his kiss was wonderful.

An invisible force was moving her forward, pushing her towards him. It was dark and brief, but she saw a flash of her surroundings. Oh, God…. Something was happening. Where was he?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

John woke up with a start. He felt like an idiot. He had only hours to produce a miracle, and he was wasting it on sleep. The clock on the wall ready 3:30am. He breathed a sigh of relief. At most, he'd only been asleep an hour. The nurse would check up on them at 5am before the end of her shift. He still had time to work.

He put himself into his observant position. His head was resting on his elbow and he could see her. It was time to talk to her again.

"Anna darling, it's me. You are going to be fine, love. You just need to wake up." He put his hand on her cheek and caressed it gently. "Won't you come back to me?"

"Yes." It sounded like a gurgle, more than a word, and it was so faint, it almost didn't exist.

John's heart almost stopped. She had her eyes closed, but the word had come from her. He hadn't seen her lips move from the angle he was in. Was he imagining it?

"Anna. Is that you? Are you there?" It was dark in the room, but the glow of the monitors was casting off enough light that he could make out the features of her face if he sat up a little more. If she moved, even a fracture, he would catch it this time.

"Yes," she answered again and her eyes were still closed, and her mouth barely moved, but it was she who answered. He was certain of it.

The intensity of the moment made John emotional and nervous at the same time. The love of his life was responding to him. Was she well? Was she coming back? He cupped her chin gently, even as his fingers shook. "Anna. I love you so much. If you can hear me, can you open your eyes? Can you do that for me?" If she responded again, maybe she would be well.

"Yes," she answered. Her eyes were still not open.

John despaired. A moment ago, his heart almost stopped. Now, he couldn't listen to himself over the noise his beating heart was producing. He had so many doubts as to how he should proceed. Should he call the nurse? He was tempted to, but what if she shut back down again? It would be better if he continued with her, he reasoned. What if it was his only chance? He willed himself to calm down.

He insisted again. "Anna, open your eyes." His voice was gentle, but firm.

He could see fluttering first. Her eyelashes bobbled for a second. She was struggling to do it, but she slowly did. Her eyelids pushed back and her eyes were finally open. They were staring forward, a bit lifeless. Confused and scared, rather. He felt so much more love for her in that moment. She looked so vulnerable. But, was she well? Truly well?

"I'm here, love. I'm right here."

As he spoke, she shifted her eyes until he was sure she could see him. "You don't need to say anything right now, love. You are in the hospital, and you are getting better. We are going to take good care of you."

He was so pleased that she reacted to his voice again. She understood what was around her.

"Yes," she said again, but there was a determination in her eyes. "Yes," she repeated. Her hand rose from its resting place and levitated for a brief moment until John saw it, and clasped it carefully in his own hand.

"Don't exert yourself, darling."

She said something muffled, and he could barely make out the word "you". He was pleased for her progress, but he understood that a full recuperation would take time. It made no sense for them to rush now.

"Love, you don't have to say anything right now." He caressed her cheek again. "Everybody's been here to visit you and we all want to see you well."

It was a whisper, but he heard her say, "I know. I heard it all."

He didn't know how to respond to that, but a giant smile manifested itself on his face. This must be a good sign. His heart swelled with joy.

"Yes," she said again and squeezed his hand. It was a very slight movement, but he felt it.

"Yes what, darling?" He moved in to where his ear was closer to her lips.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

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**The End**

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**A/N: Slightly cheesy ending, but I felt like indulging myself….**

**All of the mysteries and plots solved! At least I hope I didn't forget anything, and if I did, or if you have any questions, do let me know. I will be writing an epilogue and can make things right if I botched something. I'll hope to have it up before 2016 rolls around, or very soon after. I published the first chapter two years ago on Jan 11, 2014 and I am motivated to finish it before the start of year three.**

**Your support and kindness while I wrote this has been wonderful. Your reviews, follows and PM's have made a difference and I have received some very kind remarks. I started this to prove to myself that I could write an interesting story, and I never thought it would take me two years and be over 300K words. Thank you ever so much!**


	28. Ever After - Part I

**Hello dear readers. After writing about 14K of the Epilogue, I realized it would have to be split in 2. There was still much to write and I didn't want to publish a 20K chapter, thus, there is still another chapter to go. The way I wrote it, we would see events at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, one year and maybe more after the incident. In this installment, you are getting the 3 and 6 month installments. **

**There is M!**

**Words – 11.2K**

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**THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INCIDENT: **

"Are you certain that you're comfortable, love?" John looked at her with adoration as he knelt by the chimney of the cottage they were occupying for the weekend. It was snowing in the Windermere region of the Lake District and a fire would be necessary if they weren't to catch a cold in the drafty cottage. He stopped what he was doing as he waited for her answer.

She was accustomed to his expressions of concern since her hospitalization, but she still was not used to being fussed over. Pops and Elsie did it too and she often felt like a burden to those around her. Thankfully, three months had passed and her stamina had returned, and every day she was allowed to do a little more than the day before. This trip, in itself, was a milestone. It was the first time Elsie and Pops had let her leave the city and it was the first time that she and John acknowledged publicly that they were going on a trip together. Times had changed and it was all for the good.

"I am, thank you," she answered gratefully from the sofa. He'd put all the pillows he could find around her and had brought a blanket to put on her legs that were resting on the ottoman. He was taking good care of her, but she felt like an invalid, as bundled up as he had her. His care was exaggerated. She was delicate, but time had healed her wounds and it had healed her emotionally as well. She had no hesitation, no fears, and no worries. She just wanted to get her life back to normal.

Normal for her included the physical aspect of their relationship. Right now, all she could focus on was his backside and how his muscles rippled and flexed as he worked to start the fire. His muscular form was very enticing. Ever so often, he would raise his rear and her breath would hitch. He was unaware of this effect he was having on her and was certainly not doing anything specific to provoke it. They hadn't made love since before what happened and she was more convinced than ever that she ought to make the first move herself, if not, she'd burst from want of him. He'd been nothing but chivalrous and dedicated, but the abstinence was making her anxious. She wanted him, and she wanted him badly. She knew he did too; his kisses were as passionate as ever. He still desired her, even with such a noticeable scar on her body. She had been worried, in the beginning, that he would not want her now that she was different. He had seen it several times, in the immediate aftermath, and had helped the Carsons take care of her when she had been released from the hospital. The scar was still red, very large, and very thick. He ought to be repelled, but his kisses spoke the truth. She could feel his love and desire, and she could also feel the bulge in his pants when her hands explored during the times that they were alone.

Being together had been a challenging idea. Her recuperation was of the utmost priority and it was unthinkable that she could have enough energy for any such activity. It never crossed their minds, but if it had, it would have been a problem. They didn't have much time alone since her hospital release. She'd been living with the Carson's and only in the last month, when she started going back to the office, did they start rebuilding on their intimacy. After leaving work, he would whisk her away to his flat so that they could spend some time alone. Those occasions had been wonderful and they had snogged for the better part of their time together, but he always stopped. They discussed it the first time they were alone, and he said he was being careful not to push her. Her injury was too recent and they shouldn't rush. He was right, but she was also now desperate. She was thankful for the opportunity when he suggested this weekend. It would be the perfect way to initiate more romantic proceedings.

Now finished lighting the fire, John hobbled back to the sofa. His injury had improved greatly, but he still felt pain when he walked. He needed a cane to get around, but never used it when he was indoors. He took a seat next to her and sighed.

"There we go… a fire for my lady. That should keep you warm." He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers, bringing her hand to his lips. He pecked at her knuckles reverently. He turned to look at her and she appeared different to him. She had a seductive look about her. She was beautiful, and his heart skipped a beat.

"I'm warm alright, but it has nothing to do with the fire." She leaned towards him and brought her face as near to his lips as possible. He was not close enough that she could kiss him. He would have to close the gap, and judging by the look of his surprised face, he would need additional encouragement. "John, it's time for you to kiss me."

Caught slightly off guard, the look on her face and the way her lips were parted and beckoning to him, he could do nothing else but oblige. His happiness was apparent as he smiled when he put his lips to hers. It was a slow, careful kiss, but full of love. His one hand was still entwined with hers, but his other had crept up to cradle her head.

Anna wanted more and she was making that known to him. She had reached underneath his shirt to massage his chest. She heard him suck in an additional breath the moment that she touched him. She hadn't been this bold in a long time and this wasn't even a scandalous caress. She wondered how he would react if she went further south. He pulled apart from her, but before he could say anything else, she landed her lips on his to continue kissing him. Her insistence was paying off. He had dropped her hand and had both of his on her head, massaging her scalp and kneading through the silken strands of her hair. His light touches and masterful mouth, coupled with the way her hands felt as they conquered his broad chest, generated several minutes of uninterrupted bliss, just like she liked it. She could continue forever, if not for her need of air, and she pulled away reluctantly.

His eyes indicated that his body was ready, but he still hesitated.

"Anna, what do you want? He asked shyly. The truth was that he would wait as long as she needed. Her body had been through a severe trauma and she had only just recently regained enough strength to be out and about. He didn't want to push her, but he couldn't deny that it was getting harder to restrain himself. Ever since he started bringing her to his new temporary flat, their time together was increasingly passionate. She was making it very hard for him. Sessions like these implied to him that she wanted more than what they had, but they needed to be prudent.

"I want you, silly," she answered in a hoarse voice. She hadn't moved from the awkward position she was in.

"Darling, we must be practical. You are still in a delicate state. Perhaps we should wait a little longer." He was sure that the words coming out of his mouth were incongruent with the whole of his body language. He was breathing strongly and his eyes were sure to give him away.

Anna couldn't wait any longer. They didn't have to do anything excessively physical, but they needed to regain their lost time. The mood was perfect, they were far away from everybody, and she felt more than fine. She felt great. To prove her point, she wordlessly sat up and pulled her jumper over her head. She was in a camisole, but it was sheer enough that he could make out the silhouette of her breasts in a lacy bra.

She could see him swallow hard. God bless him for being so patient, but they were done with that. She shifted and he kept his eyes on her as she made her move and stood in front of him. Slowly, she straddled him, her knees digging into the sofa's cushions. She couldn't tell if he was breathing, as still and shocked as he was.

Smoothly, she cupped his chin with both hands, forcing him to focus on her. It wasn't really necessary, since he couldn't take his eyes off of her, but her touch would help convince him.

"Love," she addressed him in a sexy way that would get her point across. "I don't want to wait another minute to be with you. It will be fine if you are gentle. I'll tell you if I am in any pain." To get him back in the mood, she dipped her head until she could kiss his neck. She pecked a few times, and then faced him again. "Unless you don't want to," she added cynically and smirked. With that challenge, she knew her battle was won.

There, that was it. Of course he wanted to. She had set the path for him and he couldn't resist her any longer. He answered wordlessly by bringing his mouth to hers. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth to him and they explored each other. He wanted more of that, but she pulled away, eager to start undressing him. With her injury and his, their bodies were not as flexible, and they had to be extra careful. A brisk and unplanned movement from a heated clinch could cut their session short. Instead, Anna stood up and took a step back.

She made sure she had his attention as she unzipped her jeans. Her moves were sensual and planned. She didn't want to be quick about it, even when she was already dying to feel him inside her. She wanted to undress slowly and deliberately and she wanted to test him. She was confident that her wound wouldn't put him off, but she had never disrobed in front of him in such a calculated fashion and she had to do this and gauge his sentiment.

She pulled them down slowly and with the weight of the fabric, her pants slid down easily. She stepped out of them and with her foot, pushed them away.

He breathed in loudly as the creamy skin of her legs was revealed to him. Her camisole, while sheer, still covered most of her body down to her thighs. She removed it swiftly, leaving her now in her bra and knickers. Her scar was revealed, save for the end of it that disappeared below the elastic.

"Oh God, Anna. You look marvelous." John's jaw dropped. It was an honest reaction and there was no trace of deception in his words. His entire body language reflected love and devotion. Not an ounce of tension or hesitation was palpable.

Progress was stunted as the emotion hit her briefly. She expected him to be chivalrous, but his honest reaction was better than expected. He seemed to not notice it at all. He wasn't even focusing in that area as she noticed his eyes go up and down her body. He was undressing her, the fiend, and his next words proved it.

"You'd look better without all those clothes, though." He smiled and his eyes glinted. Whether he knew or not that he was being tested, he was saying all the right things. Cheeky. That's what he was, and she was loving it and loving him more than ever.

The emotionality of the moment left her, and she was ready to continue. She seductively passed her hands up her thighs, slowly across her abdomen until they were at her breasts. She cupped herself and massaged herself.

"You want these off?"

She had worn the red lace ensemble on purpose. He always reacted positively when he saw it. She had not worn it before when they'd had sex, as it was newer in her collection, but she started wearing it to his flat in the last weeks. Besides being beautiful, it made her feel good.

He nodded, already affected by the way she was moving her hands over her breasts. Anna reached back and undid the clasp. She then removed the offending item, swinging it at him. It caught him in the shoulder before falling behind the sofa. He chuckled before he saw her beautiful breasts exposed to him and then he was silent. How he loved them. They were not too big, and not too small – just perfect for him. They held him captive.

Anna hooked her fingers on the elastic of the knicker, but poised her hands on her hips. She jutted one of her hips out in another sultry pose "How about these, John, should I keep them on?

"No, no…off," he answered.

Anna's devilish smile indicated that she would concede to his desires and she danced them down her legs. When they were almost down, she stepped out of one side. Caught in the ankle of the remaining leg, Anna balanced her body on the opposing leg, and swung them roundly, flirtatiously, finally kicking them off. This time, she hit John squarely on the face.

He couldn't imagine what he was seeing before him, a perfect and carefree Venus de Milo. Their previous encounters had been so different, weighed down by their guilt, or by the myriad of problems surrounding them. There was an emotional intensity always present, the threat of being pulled apart making their reunions passionate. Seeing her now, though, even after all they had been through was such a joy. There was laughter and elation in her spirit. He loved seeing her this way, a combination of angelic and playful.

"Are you going to contemplate life all day, Mr. Bates?" she teased him. "You are a little overdressed, and I am waiting for you." She blew him a kiss and sat on the plush carpet that was only a few feet away from them, and closer to the fire.

John was up on his feet immediately, shedding his polo shirt quicker than he ever did before. He unbuckled his belt just as swiftly, and then undid the button of his pants. Soon enough, they were off, and he was left in his boxer shorts and socks. His removal of clothing was a stark contrast to Anna's seductive moves. He was awkward and clunky, almost falling over as he tried to get his legs out of the pants. There was no grace, no finesse.

Anna whistled, grinning at how cute he looked as he tried to disrobe himself. Anna called to him with her index finger. "Come here, Mr. Bates. I can help with the rest."

John was eager for her help, and took the few steps needed to reach her. Anna sat on her haunches, and reached for his penis, cupping him. "Are you already hard for me, love?" She massaged him gently to answer her own question. "..Because I am not sure how much longer I can be kept waiting. I've already been made to wait for three months," she added with cheek.

John pulled down his shorts, and Anna's hand was pushed away. His manhood sprung forth, and her question was answered. "I have been made to wait just as long, and I can't wait any longer either," he responded as he kneeled down in front of her and took possession of her lips once more. Their kisses were frenetic this time, and he guided them down until they were lying on the floor, side by side. Both knew that him on top of her would never be ideal, and her current horizontal position, with her right side to the floor was perfect.

"Let's try like this," he whispered as he pulled her leg over his hip. The pace of their exploratory kisses had not stopped; they were even wilder, if that were possible.

"I'm ready John, take me now," she gasped between breaths.

He entered her, and it felt like coming home. She was warm, and welcoming, and tight. Just what he needed. How he had missed her. When he felt that she had adjusted to having him inside her once more, he thrust forward, gently, not wanting to hurt her.

"Oh, God, John…that feels so good," she whispered in his ear as he kept moving inside her. "I missed you," she added breathlessly a moment later.

John was so concentrated on his movements; on making them precise as possible, that he couldn't answer back. He had to be gentle enough to avoid hurting her, but masterful enough to produce the desired sensations. And it was not easy. Her body was his refuge, and he felt lost within her. Prevented from this touch for so long, he now relished every feeling, every touch.

"Faster, John. I can handle it. I won't break." Anna squeaked her commands, as she arched back. In this position, his mouth had found her neck and the slope of her breast. As he continued his movements, he licked and sucked on her nipple and Anna arched back, responding to this stimulation.

He increased his pace, and the feelings within Anna intensified. She was holding on to him, and her response was to rake her nails along his back and shoulder. They had never tried this position, and her previous experience was that it never produced the same sensations as if she were atop, but he was well enough endowed to be hitting all the right spots. She could barely manage his stimulation. Her end was coming soon, she could feel it.

"I'm going to come, John, faster." He increased his pace, and two thrusts was all it took for her to be taken away. John sensed that her end had come, and thrust once more before finding his own end. He spilled himself inside her, as he'd done before, and Anna held on to his behind, loving the warm and fluid feeling that his end brought.

"Let's not ever wait that long to be together again," John whispered back, finally able to compose a thought. They were still joined, and very close to each other. "How are you feeling?" he added in a ragged voice when he remembered that she was still convalescent.

She didn't want to move and was pleased that John had made no effort to disconnect them. Feeling this close to him after making love was heavenly. "This is the medicine I needed. With you by my side, I will always be fine."

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"Is it blasphemous to say that I thought she would never leave?" Charles whispered to Elsie as they tumbled into bed. Elsie understood his sentiment completely. They loved their dear girl, and had been bereft at the thought of losing her. She had come close to succumbing to her wounds, and once she had awoken, they had become completely dedicated to her recuperation. They hadn't taken on any new cases and had moved her into their house so that they could provide the full time care she needed. Neither of them felt it a chore, nor a duty. It was all borne of love and they would do it all again if they had to.

This anxiety and devoted care of the last three months, though, had taken a toll on their intimacy. They were often too tired, or worried that Anna could hear them next door. The bedrooms shared a wall, which was not very thick, and Anna had particularly good hearing. The one time they weren't too tired was interrupted by Anna's knocking on said wall. "What are you two up to in there?" she had hollered, and it had soured the mood. From then on, they prayed that her recuperation would continue and that she would be strong enough to leave them one day. Anna had started going to work, but it didn't feel right to wait for her to leave to be able to be together. They'd done it a couple of times haphazardly, but they still felt on edge and unsatisfied. They needed their liberty.

John Bates, their soon to be son-in-law, had become their unwitting savior by whisking her away to a romantic weekend. Of course Elsie would worry that Anna would be out of her sight and out of her care, but there was no reason to hold her from going. She needed to regain her independence and John was really careful with her. He'd been a surprise to both her and Charles with the way he had managed to bring her out of her coma and the subsequent care he provided. He was at their home nearly every day, and he didn't shy away from any task that was needed. He'd won them over wholeheartedly, and even Charles had nothing to say about him anymore. On top of all of this, he'd gone and gifted here with Bates Airlift. When Anna explained what he had done, Charles felt ashamed at how he had treated him. Elsie could see how much they loved each other, and taking her away for a few days would be good for both of them.

And now, it would be good for her and Charles too. They had their house to themselves all over again and she was feeling very naughty. Three months of sexual repression had her thinking of all sorts of fun things to do.

"Not blasphemous," was all she could reply as she assaulted his mouth, while reaching down his pants to cup him. Her tongue had found his, and skillfully, she'd tasted every last crevice in his mouth. She was usually patient, but now she found that patience was overrated.

He breathed in when she found what she was looking for. Normally, he would be the one to start a tryst, but his wife's enthusiasm was very welcome. He was already hard for her and she was being very eager. She was already bringing down his paints. In no time, she had disrobed him.

'It's time Charles to see what we've been missing," she responded frenetically. That evening was pure bliss, and for several hours, nothing else in the world mattered.

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"You are sleeping with him again?" Mary asked as Anna situated her things back in her flat. Although they were engaged, they agreed that it didn't make sense for her to move in with him while his flat was temporary. He thought it best, when he moved into that place. It was let unit in a posh street in York, but it was not a place where he wanted to live permanently. He hardly had any furniture or decorations to make it cozy. He had chosen the place because it was convenient and an easy distance from the compound. He didn't want to live with Robert anymore and he was not going to move back to the house he shared with Vera. He wanted to sell that house first, and then find another property that he and Anna could enjoy together. They spoke about him moving to her flat, but neither felt comfortable uprooting Mary, when Anna's flat was not where they would live together permanently.

Anna looked upon her friend and instead of answering straight away; she smiled facetiously, affirming her friend's question.

"Well, good for you," Mary responded. The longing puppy dog stares that both of you were emitting were putting us all on edge. Even Matthew commented on it, and you know he doesn't like to talk about other people."

Anna laughed. "You exaggerate, Mary. We are not like that."

"Uh, no I don't, and yes you are," the brunette responded with a hand on her hip. "The way he looks at you is amazing. He appears to be undressing you every minute, but it's not lewd. There is an equal amount of devotion mixed in there, so you get a passionate longing face. I've never caught Matthew doing that for me, and let me tell you….. I was never keen on the idea of you and him until I saw that. I can tell he loves you."

Anna's heart clenched at her friend's admission. After the initial secrecy surrounding their relationship, it was wonderful to have support and to hear wonderful things about him.

"And you, well…. You are no different." Helping Anna move her things into the room, she set a box on the bed.

Anna's curiosity was peaked. After hiding her attraction and love for John Bates for so many months, hearing that her expressions exposed their attachment was interesting.

"…. You stop breathing when he enters the room and you hold your breath, turning pink in the process. Your lips curl into a wistful smile and you are not settled until he is at your side. You never stop staring at him." For emphasis, Mary added, " …..as I said… puppy dog eyes."

"I'm so happy, Mary. Even with everything that's happened, we couldn't be better."

"Well, I am happy for you. Are you changing the plans for the wedding?"

"No changes. We still want to wait until a year is up, in about nine months. We don't have a date, as we need everything around us to settle down. The trial against Richard is coming up soon and I don't want that hanging over our heads. I want a clean bill of health and to be able to run, swim and jump if I want to. The matter of Vera's inheritance and his stake in Bates Airlift has to be resolved. There is just so much going on and frankly, it would be nice to spend a year courting properly."

"And what are you doing now, about protection?" Mary sheepishly asked. She was well aware that Anna didn't like talking about such things. Yet, her interest was genuine. How could it not be after the nearly losing her friend, and after all of the medical issues she was to continue having?

"Nothing, right now." When Mary's eyes widened in horror, she quickly added. "There's no need, at least not in the next couple of weeks. I've been told that because of the shock in my body, it is unlikely that I'll be ovulating, and I haven't had my cycle . Now that I'm missing an ovary, I won't ever be regular again. We'll start using condoms soon because it will be a while before I can take any other sort of oral variation."

Anna appeared so certain in her response, that Mary changed the subject. "And how are you doing in the office?"

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Anna only understood the depth of what John had done for her when she went back to work at the compound. He had been running the operation in her absence, but until Vera's inheritance issues were resolved, he had no vote and no firm relationship with the company. He wasn't even being paid, since he wasn't even a salaried employee. For issues that required a manager, in Anna's absence, Robert was needed, since he was listed as co-owner. None of the employees asked them about this, so they kept on. If any of this affected John, he never said it and he never complained. He was more adamant than ever that he had sold his portion and that he was not entitled to anything. When Anna was ready to return, he also stepped aside to let her lead the office as she had been doing.

It was surreal, the first day on the job. She was nervous, aware that their relationship had been made public and that she would be working with him under the scrutiny of others. It was also the place where she had been almost violated by Richard and almost killed by Vera. If it were not for the fact that it was also the place that she fell in love, she might not have the strength to return.

The first order of the day had been a team meeting. She missed all of the employees and when she arrived into the room, she was met with thunderous applause. To her surprise, even Sarah clapped with joy. Kind words were exchanged and the heartfelt testimonials from the team brought her to tears. If anybody still had any doubts about the nature of her relationship with John, they were erased when he reached for her hand to provide emotional support and she eagerly clasped it. It was very apparent that a relationship existed between them.

She was also introduced to her newest employees. The company couldn't continue to operate on such a skeleton staff and they had hired up. They had a new Bryant Landing girl, Jane Moorsum, who had replaced Thomas. As a certified accountant, she was perfect for the position. In preparation for the launch of their contract with CONOCO EXPLORATIONS in January, three new pilots had been hired. Andrew Parker, Bertie Pelham and another woman to keep Daisy company, Lavinia Swire, joined the team. They were all nice people, and as far as she had been told, very qualified.

There were still some decisions to be made and assets to be acquired. They had to make a determination on whether to hire an external Sales Manager, or reposition Gwen, but they didn't want to make any big changes yet. She was doing an amazing job, though. She had signed up two new corporate clients, even when their overall demand for services had decreased. The negative publicity surrounding the shooting was the culprit, and they all knew they had to weather that storm.

John had also been busy working on the lease of the two new helicopters they would need for their CONOCO EXPLORATIONS startup and those were about to be delivered. They had a short list of names for the new machines that included Esther, Ginger, Katharine, Lauren and Doris. Gwen had suggested that they allow customers to name one of the choppers, from among the preselected pool of names. She created a promotion around it, providing a 10% discount on a future trip. Gwen rationalized that if customers saw that they were expanding and had new assets, it might generate positive sentiment. They had emailed their customer base and provided leaflets to those passengers on their current runs They had 300 votes thus far, and the outlook for the next two months had improved by a modest 5%. It seemed to be working, and "Ginger" was in the lead.

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"Will the Defendant please rise?" There was a shuffle in the court room as the audience waited for the final verdict to be read.

Richard sat morosely, but stood when the judge prompted him too. He turned to face the crowd and his eyes met John's, then settled on Anna. His features shifted to something akin a scowl. He was inevitably trying to frighten her, in a last effort to exert some mental power.

It was hard for John to imagine that he had once trusted and respected this man. When he remembered how Anna had suffered at his hands, and how he could have protected her had he not been in jail, his blood started boiling. Richard was lucky that John had been released when he was, if not, John wouldn't have been able to contain himself having the man so close to him. The only reason he was containing himself now was because of the woman beside him. Their hands had been entwined since the hearing started, and she grounded him, keeping him calm.

Anna would not allow herself to be frightened by this man. She didn't turn her gaze when his eyes met hers. She stood her ground, and it was him who ended up looking elsewhere. John had accompanied her throughout the entire few days that the hearing had lasted. She felt his unconditional support and that allowed her to weather the worst of it. His lawyer's accusations that she had flirted with him and that she had wanted the attention were ridiculous. They had even said that Richard acted in self-defense when Anna had attacked him viciously. She had been warned by Matthew and the lawyer presenting the case on behalf of the Crowne Prosecution Service that they would try to make Richard appear innocent. It was incredible that even with all of the evidence presented, and all the transcripts of her recordings, his defense team would still attempt to villainize her.

Now, as they were about to read the verdict, her heart rate speed up. She was nervous, thinking that there could be a possibility that somebody wouldn't believe all the proof of his guilt presented and that he would walk free. She didn't know what she would do if that were the case.

Next to them sat Mary and Matthew. Matthew didn't have to be there, since Richard was being accused by the local Crowne Prosecutor, but he was present as a friend, providing assistance and explanations that entire time. Her Godparents attended too and Elsie's calm and practical demeanor always helped keep Anna sane.

Tom Branson was there with Sybil Crawley. Phyllis Baxter was there with Joe Molesley. As witnesses and Anna's saviors on that fateful day, they had been summoned to appear in court to provide key testimonials. Both had been steadfast in their interviews.

With Tom, they tried to trick him into thinking that what he saw was not what it looked like. Richard's defender made a series of theories that he posed at Tom, expecting Tom to accept that Anna and Richard were playing rough when he walked in on them, but that Anna had consensually allowed Richard to start undressing her. Time and time again, Tom refuted those versions, claiming that Anna was already unconscious when he came upon the scene and that he wouldn't have been there in the first place if Anna hadn't yelled for him to help her. All the while he was on the stand, Sybil couldn't keep her eyes off him. Anna was pleased for them, since they seemed to be getting on great with each other.

Phyllis had been surprisingly strong, and they were all astonished at her change in character. Always presenting herself meekly in the office, there was no trace of fear or submission now. Anna understood Phyllis' motivations and backstory, having chatted privately with her during her recuperation. When Phyllis accepted that she was incongnitohelper, she thought that it might be the end of her career at Bates Airlift, and that Mr. Bates would find out that she knew all along what was going on and hadn't put a stop to it sooner. Phyllis had been frank with Anna, going as far as telling her about the torture she suffered at the hands of her boyfriend, and the resulting blackmail from Thomas. Anna was further incensed at Thomas' actions and understood why Phyllis had kept quiet. She promised never to tell Mr. Bates. More confident than ever, Phyllis refuted every false claim that disputed her eyewitness account to the attack and Anna loved her for it. She hoped that her pledge of support had caused that confidence, but Anna wouldn't take credit for it the moment she saw Joe Molesley escorting Phyllis into the courtroom. That friendship was an oddity, and she could only imagine how it came about, but they worked.

"The court finds the defendant guilty of aggravated assault with the intent of sexual battery."

Somebody whelped in the courtroom, and Anna could imagine that the only person who would react that way would be his mother. John turned to her and they hugged while the whole world watched. A feeling of calm came over her. This nightmare was over.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**SIX MONTHS AFTER THE INCIDENT**

"Matthew, it's here," John exclaimed through his telephone as he examined the external markings of the thick envelope. Delivered by courier, John ought to open the robust envelope immediately, but he took his time. The contents would seal his fate. He would either own Vera's half of Bates Airlift or embark on the pursuit of ownership with whomever Vera's legitimate inheritor turned out to be.

"I'm about to enter a hearing. I have about five minutes. Do you want to open it now, or would you rather I come over when this is finished? It should only be a couple of hours." This was one of the last pending items from the incident that happened already six months ago. Matthew had already chatted with the magistrate in charge of supervising the legal process and was almost sure what those documents would say. They were only a formality.

"Come by later. I can wait." After some additional pleasantries, he hung up the phone.

He was so absorbed in studying the envelope, that he didn't hear the muffled steps upon the carpet. The first indication that he wasn't alone came with the loving arms that encircled him from his backside and her petite body that snuggled up against him. He wouldn't ever tire of having her in his life. He felt so content with her so close to him, and neither of them fretted that the door to his office was wide open.

"Why so pensive?" She couldn't help but hug him when she walked into the room. He was staring out the window, focused and intent, when the view from this office only led to a chain link fence and some stark concrete. She knew it wasn't anything on the outside that could be holding his interest.

"It's here." He lifted the envelope at an angle where she could see it.

She let go of his middle, curious to see the mysterious object closer. She came around until she was at his front. When she saw it, she knew exactly what it was. It was six months and a week to the day that Vera had died and if she didn't already have a clue, the very obvious seal from her majesty's court would have given the envelope away.

"You've not opened it." She didn't want to push him, but if it were her, she'd have already ripped it apart.

"I was about to." He turned towards his desk to find the letter opener in his drawer. "It's time to find out the truth."

"Perhaps, you'd like to be alone for this?" Anna took two steps back, intent on turning back to give him his privacy, but he dropped the sharp letter opener on his desk and reached out to her. His hand captured her wrist.

"No, darling, you don't have to leave. Please..." He reached down to give her a peck on the cheek. "…Stay here."

She wordlessly agreed and sat against the rim of his desk as the sharp tool glid across the top of the envelope. There would be several pages to read and he took a seat in his empty chair. He extracted the sheets while Anna patiently waited.

"It seems like a lot of pages," she offered curiously as she saw him ruffle through the pile. He offered a sheepish grin as he extended the top page out.

"Citizen John Bates," he read out loud. "Pursuant to inheritance laws of the United Kingdom, it has been determined by the magistrate of the council of York, that the intestate citizen Vera Bates' estate will be transferred to her legal spouse at the time of her death."

There was more, but he had enough insight to stop and smile. His eyes sparkled from the obvious happiness that this news produced in him.

"Welcome back as the majority owner, Mr. Bates," Anna offered coquettishly from her perch.

In a very obvious good mood, he reached out to capture her wrist again and as delicately as he could, he pulled her away from the desk and towards him, bringing her onto his lap. She squealed, loudly, at his move, but enjoyed herself immensely. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist.

"We are partners at last, Ms. Smith." He raised his eyebrows, flirting with her.

"We've been partners since that one fantastic evening we shared up against the helicopter, Mr. Bates," she whispered into his ears.

His breath hitched. That had been a magic evening, indeed, and that memory, plus Anna's warm breath on his ears, generated a pleasant sensation. Too bad they were in the office, he thought. But, that wasn't what he meant by his comment. "You know what I mean, silly." He kissed underneath her jaw, acknowledging her comment with physicality, while trying to bring attention to his. "With me back at Bates Airlift officially, we can finally be stable and grow this company as it deserves. You, Robert and I will make it better than it was."

Anna was pleased to see him so happy. She didn't think she deserved to own as much as she did, but John wouldn't hear of it when she brought the topic up. He was determined that she was due after sacrificing so much of herself and her money to see him and the company through their worst times.

"I love you, you know," she added as she ruffled his hair.

"…and I love you, future Mrs. Bates."

He kissed her then. They forgot where they were, as they indulged in each other. They had spoken, once their relationship had become known, that they would be careful while they were in the office. They wouldn't refrain from loving touches, but they would avoid the more obvious signs of their personal affection for one another. Sitting on his lap and kissing him deeply were those things they agreed to not do.

Anna realized they ought to stop, but his lips were seducing her and she didn't have the willpower to pull herself apart. His happiness was fueling his desire and she was only too happy to share in the moment with him.

A loud cough followed by an "I'm so sorry to interrupt," heralded the arrival of Anthony Strallan.

Anna pulled away and stood up immediately. The embarrassment of having been caught made her pink all over and she couldn't look Anthony in the eye. "I'll leave you gentlemen alone…."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"John, how high up are we?" Anna asked as she gazed below. They were headed towards Galloway again, and they were now crossing into the part of their journey that was over water. It was perfect for what she was thinking. An area that was free of buildings and towers was desirable for the plan, and the ocean was perfect.

"About two thousand meters, love. We are about half an hour away from our destination."

Anna pulled out her smart phone and hoped that her metric conversion app worked at this height. She needed to know if that was enough meters for a mile, and not knowing how much a mile was, in relation to a kilometer, a little bit of help would be necessary. Not that it would have mattered if the 2000 meters were less than a mile. She was sure that this stunt would still qualify her and John to become members of the mile high club.

It was an exclusive club only for the very bold. She didn't know anything about it until she overheard Tony Gillingham talking about it in the locker room. They hadn't noticing she was in the shower stall, refreshing herself after a difficult day. He was proud, he said, that he was a member and he was ribbing Alfred for apparently not being one himself. Alfred said he would never attempt it in a helicopter, but that he would be more daring on an airplane. Tony boasted that he had been lucky in both. Not fully understanding what this was all about, but suspecting it was not an adequate conversation to be involved in with members of her team, she waited until they had left the area before taking her leave. Twenty minutes later, google had clued her in to what this was, and she very much wanted her and John to join.

"Yes!" she pumped her fist when the conversion app reflected that it was 1.24 miles. John hadn't noticed her enthusiasm, and if he did, he wasn't letting on. All she had to do now was seduce him.

She wouldn't even be attempting this if she hadn't read up on the characteristics of the aircraft and if she hadn't enquired with Daisy about how the helicopter's autopilot functionality worked. She must be sure it was even possible to attempt it in Maggie before embarking on such a quest. She didn't explain why she was asking, as that would have been too embarrassing. Daisy was the right person for the explanation. She knew the technology of the helicopters, but was not too smart to pick up on Anna's ulterior motives. She hadn't caught on, and Anna was pleased that it was possible.

Was she ready? Was she that bold? Her head shifted and she took a good look at him. He was so handsome in his brown leather bomber jacket. She couldn't remember making love to him while he was wearing it and just that thought caused a frisson, deep within her. She closed her eyes, anticipating the sensation of feeling him deep within her. She shuddered. Yes, she was bold enough, and it was time to act.

She pulled on the clasp of the seat belt and it came undone. The suddenness of the movement caused John to notice. Safety always at the forefront of his mind, her break in protocol had him questioning her with his eyes, but he didn't say anything. This was perfect. He looked like an innocent lamb ready for slaughter.

She had prepared for this journey, anticipating what could be the most convenient outfit under this premise. A skirt that could be pulled up and button down shirt that could be opened from the front was what she chose. It proved to be the correct choice as she strummed her fingers down the front of the shirt. Slowly, she let her fingers trail over the row of buttons. He smiled, but didn't understand what she was trying to do, so, she raised her fingers to the top button and unfastened it. The cloth spread, revealing a few inches of her chest. John still didn't understand. Without breaking their visual connection, she undid the next one. There was enough gap that she could slide her palm underneath her shirt easily now. His eyes followed the movement as her hand disappeared underneath the fabric. She cupped herself, closing her eyes and moaning in the process.

What in God's name was his naughty girl up to? John's eyes bulged as he saw her eyelids flutter shut. Her fingers were massaging her breast, and her moan set him on edge. They were in the middle of the air. What did she think she could gain from putting him in such a state?

Without opening her eyes, Anna continued her onslaught. Keeping her hand on her breast, she inched the other one down her body, bringing it down past her belly, until she reached her skirt. Gingerly, she pushed up the fabric until her knickers were visible. She proceeded to rub herself. Knowing exactly what spot would have the most impact, she massaged it gently. Anna moaned again, feeling keenly what she was doing to herself. She kept doing it, for another minute, managing to undo another button from her brisk movements.

"Anna," he called out with difficulty and she finally opened her eyes. She had him exactly how she wanted him. His mouth was hanging open; she could see that his breath was shallow. His pants also gave his state of arousal away.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" he asked, barely above a whisper. If they weren't wearing headsets, she wouldn't have ever heard him over the noise of the rotors.

This might be the most erotic experience if his life. Even with his long career in aviation, he had never brought a woman into his helicopter for sex - not that he didn't have opportunities as a young hotshot pilot. He slept with a number of women in those days, but he impressed them just by showing up in uniform. He hadn't needed the extra help the helicopter could have brought. And Vera… well, she never like flying with him. The opportunity would have never presented itself. But, glorious God - here was his incredibly sexy fiancé, orchestrating his very demise by carnal lust. He was bound to crash this machine if she kept it up.

"On the contrary." With firmness in her voice she added, 'I've heard you're the best pilot around and I know this bird has auto pilot."

Her hand reached across the expanse between them, and she landed her hand close to his thighs. Without preamble, she ghosted her fingers over his bulging crotch.

He sucked in a breath. God, she knew exactly how to get to him. He already felt the sweat trickling down his sides, and that was before she'd touched him. Autopilot? Why yes, this helicopter came equipped with that feature. The button to activate it was just a few inches away on the control panel, and they were over the ocean. No cell towers or tall buildings to contend with. She must have planned this, the minx.

In no time, she found the zipper pull and inched it down. He hadn't tried to stop her, an indication that he was warming up to the idea. He closed his eyes, as she expected, and she could see him exert an immense amount of self-control. His fists were clenched around the throttle of the controls, and his knuckles, white boned, indicated how much pressure he was in. Intent on winning this game, she fumbled through the opening of his boxers until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out his hot, throbbing member. He sucked in his breath again as she ran her fingers across his length. She was ready for the kill.

"John, let's join the mile high club, together." She continued providing ghost touches. "Tell me what to do, tell me how it's safe." She bent across the space and took him in her mouth. He wouldn't be able to refuse after that.

Blimey! She was giving him a blow job. There was no way back. He wanted her. Before he lost his bearings, he turned the autopilot switch on. He would have sighed with relief, but his breathing was hampered by the flash flood of sensations. Her lips were caressing him, and her tongue was teasing his tip. In the most normal of times, her mouth on him proved to be quite the experience. Currently, those sensations were intensified tenfold. Perhaps the thought that they were doing something forbidden, so high into the air, was heightening all the sensations. He felt like he would explode, and she'd been at it less than a minute.

"Darling," he managed to say. She disengaged and looked up. He pulled the lever that controlled his seat's positioning and moved it back a few inches. "Autopilot is on, but we still need to be careful." If they were going to do this, he needed to be the one in control. "Come and sit on top of me, facing the control panel, and be absolutely careful when moving. You do not want to touch the foot pedals."

Anna felt a mixture of excitement and terror as she maneuvered in the tight space. John didn't want to take his hands off of the throttles, so she dove underneath his elbow, and came up between both his arms. Putting a hand on the dashboard and another on John's shoulder, she steadied herself as she tried moving her legs. The easiest was to sit on John, and swivel around. As she put her weight on him, she gauged whether she was causing him any harm. She couldn't distribute her weight evenly, with her legs still resting on the cushions of her seat, and she was placing too much pressure on his right leg. He had more than one wound that could produce pain, but if anything hurt, his face did not give way and soon enough, she negotiated the territory.

She was against his chest, and she could feel his breath on her neck. A chill ran down her body. Oh my, this would be quite the encounter.

His hard penis was trapped between them. She reached into the pocket of her shirt where she had stored a condom. As much as she desired this experience, it wasn't right to do anything careless. She ripped the package open with her mouth, and took the specimen carefully from its wrapping. In hindsight, she should have done this first, before coming over to sit on him. The only way to put it on him would be to raise herself up and crouch, since there wasn't any standing room in helicopter. Her hands trembled, but she couldn't avoid chuckling as her head and back reached the vinyl top paneling. In this position, with her upper half horizontal to the ceiling, she was throwing her bum into his face, and blocking all visibility with her dangling hair above the control panels. She had to sheath him at an awkward angle too, in between her legs and reaching backwards. John hadn't been idle while she was doing this and wasn't being very helpful to achieve her purpose. Or he was, depending on the point of view. His tongue and teeth were unavoidably occupied with her bottom. He bit into one of her butt cheeks, then sucked and licked the skin that was visible to him. It was harder for her to maintain a steady movement to get the condom on, but the flood of feelings was accumulating moisture. When his tongue reached far enough to lick the soaked fabric of her knickers, she let go of the condom, already halfway down. It was Anna's turn to gasp and her hands were necessary to steady her; her legs trembling from the feelings. She held on the glass panels of the front and side. One of his hands came off of the throttle temporarily and he pushed up her bra, revealing her breasts. He couldn't see them, but he enjoyed running his hand on her hardened nipples all the same. This was better than she had expected and she could confirm that he was a damn good pilot. He was also a phenomenal lover. The helicopter hadn't shifted at all and she was already hot and wet and ready for him. When his tongue let up for a moment, she reached back again and finished what she was doing. Now sheathed, she was ready to take him in.

Sex with John was always enjoyable, but now that he was in control and had accepted her challenge, he seemed intent on prolonging her agony. His hand pushed her forward, avoiding their final joining. It was sheer torture having him so close.

His labored voice could barely get out the instructions, but it did. "The autopilot is almost like the cruise control in your car. We can't let go of all the controls for too long. You'll have to take the throttles, and I must keep my feet on the pedals at all times." She had to gasp in the process. His hand was doing wonders on her, still massaging her breasts. "We'll move together, but you will have to exert the greater movement. Just keep the throttle as stable as possible and we should be fine." Towards the end, he was raspy, but he got his point across.

He was talking technical, but the rasp in his voice, and sultry delivery of the lines had her fit to burst. How he could be so patient, she wouldn't understand. She guessed it had to be his training as a pilot, keeping calm in all situations.

Per his indications, she took the controls from John. He in turn, held on to handle that was positioned above his door, and then wrapped his arm around her. Whether that meant he was ready or not, she was, and she eased herself downward the few inches that was necessary for them to be joined. In her zeal to move over and join John, she hadn't remembered to take off her knickers. That little problem would not stop them, and he moved the restriction to the side, sinking into him. The collective moan from both of them could be heard above all of the noise.

This was beyond her expectations. The rhythmic drumming of the rotors produced vibrations that were being felt keenly. Each undulation was hitting every one of her nerve points. It was indescribable. She was so close to release already and they hadn't even moved. She imagined it would be even better if she did, and using her feet and her hold on the throttle for leverage, she did. She was slow at first, allowing the vibrations to produce their own pleasurable after-effects every time she sank down on him, but as she started moving quicker, she realized that the vibrations aided in those movements too. Waves of heat spread through her body, relentlessly. It was intense, the best sensual response she had ever experienced.

John was glad that he'd never shared this type of encounter with another woman before. This was something he would never forget, and it was best to have lived it with the woman he loved. Every one of her movements left him unable to process. Every time she took him deep within her, the blood in his body threatened to burst in flames. Massive pleasure was assaulting his body, and he never felt anything like it. He needed to come now, as he could hardly continue. As if reading his mind, Anna ceased her movements and tensed before him. Even with the relentless noise, he thought he heard her screech. Convinced that he could, his release came.

She rested against him, trying to catch her breath. She could hear him also struggling with his breathing. She was in awe of him and of what they had done. It was probably the most momentous and satisfying sexual encounter in her life.

"I love you," she offered now, not having the capacity to say it moments before.

"And I love you," he answered back.

If they were in their bed at home, they might go to sleep, the exertion of such an encounter rendering them useless, but they couldn't. Not now. John was usually more spent than her, even during a normal encounter, and she couldn't imagine how he would feel now, after what they'd just shared. She would have to keep her wits about her to make sure they didn't plunge into the ocean below, or the ground for that matter, since she saw, on the horizon, that they were nearing land. They'd arrive soon enough at their destination.

There was no hurry to move and they stayed in the same position for a few minutes. "How are you, love?" she asked when he'd not said anything for a while.

"You, Anna Smith, will be the death of me."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"What are you thinking?" Her sweet voice broke the silence. It was very quiet outside, but Anna could tell that her man was busy brooding. Ever since he received the full report from the court, detailing all of Vera's holdings, he would get pensive. That's what she imagined he was thinking about now.

They were stargazing again, as they had almost nine months ago when he brought her here the first time. It seemed almost yesterday that they were getting to know each other. They still were, but they were now settled together and comfortable, as old lovers should be. The weather was phenomenal and the stars as beautiful as ever. She loved being like this, with him; laying out on a blanket, their eyes fixed on the heavens. If only his thoughts wouldn't cloud the evening.

He sighed, knowing he had been caught. Again. But this time, he finally had an idea of what he wanted to do with the money. He felt the compound was rightfully his and had no qualms "inheriting" it. It was the same for the funds that she and Thomas had embezzled from the company. He had rightfully deposited it back, and the company's coffers were full once again. What was troubling him, though, was the remaining money from her personal accounts, and the surprising sum she had at Eagle Investments. More than a sum, it was a large stake in the Helicopters UK; a company in direct competition with his. Besides being a conflict of interests, he didn't want her money and didn't want to profit from it. Never had he been more conflicted in his life about what to do.

"Still thinking about what to do with the money." He wouldn't lie to her. As little as they had known each other, she could already read him like a book, and nothing he could have invented would have been believed.

She shifted from lying on her back and curled up against him. "It is rather a conundrum. I don't envy you."

He placed a kiss on her temple. "This place has helped me clear my thoughts." That had been the intention of this trip. Since his release from prison and their subsequent injuries, he'd only come here once, when Daphne had needed he transport a girl in need of help, but at the time, Anna was still in a delicate condition. No sooner had he arrived, he left. He'd not had an opportunity to chat with Daphne at all. He'd been meaning to come again, just him and Anna, and they had finally managed it.

"Oh? ….. and…. Are you any nearer to reaching a decision?" Anna was intrigued, and lifted her head to face him. Maybe he would be ready to tell her.

"You know I don't want her money, and I think Vera's money could be put to good use. The only conceivable way to spend her money is by donating it to a good cause." As he spoke, his hand came up to Anna's head to run his fingers through her hair. He spent a lot of time doing that, and he could never resist when he was so close. He continued. "I'd like to set up some endowments to some worthy causes. Maybe those that I think represent what Vera would have supported, or the type of charity that might have helped her heal her mental wounds, but I need to do more research."

"That sounds lovely, darling." She reached out to stroke his cheek tenderly. "I think that is a wise choice."

"Maybe you can help me narrow it down."

His eyes questioned her, and her heart overflowed with joy. He wasn't shutting her out, and was involving her, asking for opinions. "Absolutely," she answered.

He was pleased at her response, but he wasn't finished with his thoughts.

"That's not all. I still have Helicopters UK to contend with. I don't want to get involved or to feel like I'm competing with myself at every turn. It would drive me mad."

"It's a huge stake in the company, though. Would you consider merging with them? You could rule over a larger helicopter empire."

"We," he corrected. Anna's contributions to the company in such a short time had been formidable. She had invested money into automation and digital storage, and everybody in their small company was pleased with the results. Errors had decreased, their risks had diminished, and overall, the operation was running more efficiently. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to work anywhere she wasn't around, and he wasn't even thinking in romantic terms. She was an asset to their organization.

She shifted her eyes away from him, but smiled gently. She was confident in her work, but John's insistence that she participate in every meeting and every business scenario always made her feel bashful. He included her in everything.

"And no," he added with zeal. "I don't really want to merge with them and run an empire. Bates Airlift is a company I started. We give personalized service. We know our customers." As was customary to John Bates, to emphasize his points, his hands were employed. Even with his arms holding her close to him, his flailing was charming, and Anna loved watching him.

"We can continue to grow, but I don't want it to get to a size where it loses it small company appeal and charm. I don't care that we aren't a country-wide operation. I just want us to be the best at what we do, with the best employees and the best services. I don't need us to have the largest fleet, or the largest employee count."

Anna was relieved. In her heart, she didn't want to have to deal with the massiveness of it all either. Merging might have meant moving to London too. She loved the city and was quite happy when she visited, but living there, permanently, was another matter. She felt closer to her parents in Yorkshire and wouldn't ever want to move away.

"Will you sell, then?" Anna asked. "It would be a substantial amount of money."

"I believe I will. I think I'm almost decided, and I know exactly what I want to do with it."

Before Anna could react and ask questions, John offered up the information himself. "Daphne mentioned that the land adjoining the Bryant Landing compound is currently for sale." He pointed across the brook that ran close to them. There was nothing but trees and green fields. "It is currently undeveloped. She is worried about what type of neighbors she could inherit. This is the Galloway Forest National Park area, and it is prime land for tourism development. If a hotel was built here, their presence could be counterproductive for her women. I agree with her."

Anna started to get a feeling that she knew where he was going with his thinking. She felt goosebumps on her skin and a warm sensation throughout her body. John was such a good man and he was hers. She sighed with emotion as her heart swelled.

"The only thing Vera and I ever agreed on was our love for Callum. The only fitting use of her money would be in tribute to him. I think the Callum Kelly annex to Bryant Landing with several more cottages and facilities sounds quite nice, don't you think?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**A/N: Thank you everybody for your continued interest in the story. I appreciate all the enthusiasm. I'll try not to take too much time to deliver on the last chapter.**

**Somebody asked me for helicopter sex, so there you have it! I hoped it wasn't too terrible. **


End file.
